DENDROLAGUS INUSTUS, mu.

Brown Tree-Kangaroo.

Dendrolagus inustus, Miill. Zoogd. van den Indischen Archipel., part iv pl. 20; pl. 22. fie. 2, head: pl. 2
a ’ : . 20; . 42. lig. 2, head; oe
figs. 4-6, and pl. 24. fig. 4, skull; figs. 5 & 6, bones of hind-lee.—Gould Mon.

7 a : f Macrc ide
pl. .—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 188. asa eer:

 

Sivce the appearance of the second part of my “Monograph of the Macropodide, or

Family of Kan-
earoos,’ in which I published a reduced figure of this anin eae
ea I ad figure of this animal, taken from a preserved

eo specimen in the
Royal Museum at Leyden, a living example has been transmitted to the Gardens of the Zoological Society
of London, and lived there for some years. In disposition it appeared to be more slothful en ae cer
restrial Kangaroos, as it spent the greater part of the day on the large branch of the tree placed in the cage
in which it was kept, and there it would sit for hours together in a moping, sleepy attitude, with its prem
brush tail coiled round the front of its body; at other times it was somewhat more active, and would! then
sit erect, with the tail hanging down nearly straight, much after the manner of the Monkeys.

The Dendrolagus inustus is a native of New Guinea, where it was discovered by Dr. W. S. Miiller in
Triton Bay. The description of the habits of the animal, so long promised by this gentleman, has not yet,
I believe, appeared ; at least I am unable to find it in any of the great works on the Dutch possessions in
the Indian Archipelago, to which I have access.

The following note, respecting the living ‘specimen above mentioned, occurs in Mr. Mitchell’s « Popular
Guide to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London,” p. 58 :—

“The Tree-Kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus) has only in one instance been brought alive to Europe. This
specimen was presented to the Society by Lieut.-Col. Butterworth, C.B., Governor of Singapore. The
beautiful modification of structure in the extremities, by which it is enabled to ascend the straightest palm-
trees, presents a most instructive contrast, when compared with the same organs in the Kangaroos, which
bound in leaps of twenty feet along the ground.”

The accompanying drawing, which represents half of the animal of the size of life, was made by
Mr. H. C. Richter, from the living example in the Society’s Gardens. The entire figure, from the Leyden
specimen, is much reduced.

The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s careful description of this species, which I transcribe rather than give
one of my own, as the animal mentioned was somewhat out of condition when it died :—

“This species is about the same size as D. wrsinus, from which it differs not only in being of a brown
colour, but in having the muzzle and tarsi rather more elongated, and the ears less densely clothed with
fur: the hairs of the back do not so distinctly radiate from a point, rather behind the shoulders, as in
D. ursinus ; over the shoulders, however, the hairs are directed outwards, and on the back part of the neck
they are directed forwards, but are semi-erect, and those of the head are directed backwards. Tne fur is
rather less harsh than in D. wrsinus ; its general hue is deepish brown on the upper parts of the body,
e base, shaded into brownish-black externally, whilst at the point they are
under parts of the body, the exposed portions of the hairs
a very pale brown, at the base still paler, and

but here each hair is brown at th
of a very pale brown inclining to white; on the
are white, or very nearly so, but in the middle they are of

nearly white in some parts; the sides of the head are pale brown, !
the ears tolerably well clothed with longish hairs,
\ but the hairs on these parts are brown
whitish ; the

and the upper surface dusky-brown ;
: : : brown on the
the muzzle is clothed with very short hairs ;

imer side, and dusky on the outer; the limbs are brownish-white, ee

: - cyrface of the base © . tail are

at the root; the hinder part of the haunches and the under surface of the base ot the ti :

5 1 hite < rtiy pale “own he general nue

tail is well clothed with longish harsh hairs, partly brownish-white and partly pas a i : . ee

7 i eee eky-hrown. pencilled with whitish on the hinder
being paler than that of the body; all the feet are dusky-brown, |

parts.”

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