Lp

Vidllrrandell & Wallon,

Li KIC IEA IRD Til. Gould.

PLE SAWUES

Rat

( “ith

teller, be

J Gctddand HOR

ee

L A G () R C H K S alt E S L E | C H AR D T I, Gould.

7 or ? [ ee
Leichardt’s Hare Kangaroo.

 

70 specimens—one adult, the other immature——of thie hoance
Two spe ‘ » the other immature—of this beautiful species of Lagorchestes have heen
the Council of the Australian Museum at Sydney, New South Wales, for
. a . . . ‘ ¥ oa
the purpose of being described and figured in the pre

transmitted to me by direction of
sent work. The specimens in question formed
part of the Mammalia collected by Dr. Leichardt during his extensive overland journey from Moreton
7 . a S , 7 P . . ~ e . 7 . . :

Bay to Port Essington; unfortunately no information has been furnished me respecting them; perhaps
. Ce a

indeed, none was obtained. I am, therefore, unable to state the precise locality in wh

nich they were pro-
cured; but as I find no mention of them in the late Mr. Gilbert’s

Journal, we may infer that they were not
obtained until after his lamented death, and that: the country between the Gulf of Carpentaria and Port
Essington is the natural habitat of the species. I have named it Leichardti, from a desire to assist in
perpetuating the name of the intrepid traveller who has done so much in the exploration of Australia,
and whose life it is to be feared has fallen a sacrifice to his zeal for discovery in the previously untraversed
portions of that strange country.

The only species with which the Z. Leichardti could be confounded is the L. conspicillatus, but on com-
parison it will be found to differ from that animal in the richly contrasted colouring of its crisp and wiry
fur, in the whiteness of its rump and tail, in the brighter rusty hue of the space surrounding the eye, in the
chestnut colour of the basal portion of the fur, and in its smaller ears.

I cannot conclude without offering my thanks to the Council of the Australian Museum for their kindness
and liberality in permitting this rare and interesting animal to be sent to Europe, the discovery of which
adds so much to the interest of ‘*‘ The Mammals of Australia.”

Face grizzled grey and brown, passing into rufous between and on the ears, which are margmed with
white ; around the eye a conspicuous oval patch of lively ferruginous red; hairs of the cheeks stiff me
bristly ; all the upper surface mottled rufous black and white, the base of the fur being chestnut, passing
into black about the middle, then into white, and lastly into dark rufous at the tip; on the rump and base
of the tail these colours give place to greyish white, intermingled with black ; all the under surface greyish
white; at the insertion of the hinder limbs two curved marks of grey; hands and toes washed with buff ;
nails black; tail greyish white. oO

Total length from the nose to the extremity of the tail two feet four inches ; of the tail ee oe
of the tarsus and toes including the nail five inches and three-quarters ; of the arm and hand including the
nail three inches ; of the face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear two inches and five-eighths ;
of the ear one inch and an eighth.

The figure is rather under the size of life.

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