HALMATURUS PARMA, Gow.

Parma Wallaby.

Halmaturus Parma, Gould in Gray’s List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 91.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Parma, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 149.

 

Tur Halmaturus Parma is so very distinct from all the other small Ha/maturt inhabiting New South Wales,
that the aborigines who hunt these animals recognize it immediately by the native term I have selected as a
specific appellation ; this remark applies more particularly to the natives of Illawarra, in which district
I myself saw it in a state of nature. In these extensive brushes it doubtless still exists, as simce my
return other specimens have been sent to me from thence by the late Mr. Strange. How far its range
may extend westwardly towards Port Philip, or eastwardly in the direction of Moreton Bay, I am unable
to state.
The following note, by Mr. Waterhouse, may be quoted as confirmatory of my view of the specific value
of this animal, the original description of which I intended to publish in the “ Proceedings of the Zoological
Society of London,” but by some inadvertence omitted so to do :—
«The Parma Wallaby, I think, merits the distinction of a species. It is intermediate between the
H. dorsalis and the H. Derbianus, and may be distinguished from either by its deep reddish-brown colour,
and the distinct large white patch on the throat and chest; the hairs forming this patch are white to the
root, in H. Derbianus they are distinctly grey next the skin, and in HZ. dorsalis they are very slightly tinted
with grey at the root in the same parts ; and this circumstance, combined with the general form and
superior size of H. Parma, caused me at first sight to think it might be a variety of the latter animal; I
soon perceived, however, that it differed much from Z. dorsalis in the form and size of its incisor teeth,
and in the proportion of the tarsus, which is much shorter than in that species.”
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s description of my original specimen, which now forms part of the
Collection at the British Museum :—
«Fur moderate, both as to length and texture ; general colour deep reddish-brown, pencilled with white,
and much pencilled with black on the back ; on the sides of the body the white is less distinct, and as the
black is wanting, or nearly so, the hue is paler; the fur on these parts is of a very deep grey next the skin ;

 

on the under parts of the body each hair of the fur has the basal half grey, and the external half whitish,
but tinted with rust-colour; on the throat and fore part of the chest, however, the hairs are uniform white ;
back of the shoulders and fore-legs brownish rust-colour; in some specimens a narrowish longitudinal black
mark extends from near the occiput along the back of the neck; in others this mark is not apparent ; head
ashy-grey, tinted with rufous, and finely tinted with whitish ; the pale cheek-mark is indistinct; chin
brownish; back of the ears clothed with hairs like those of the head, the few hairs of the inner side are
whitish; feet brown, finely pencilled behind with very pale brown ; tail sparingly clothed, and excepting at
the base the scales very distinct 5 the small, stiff, scattered hairs of the upper surface are black ; quite at the
root the tail is clothed with hairs like those of the body; on the under side the hairs are more numerous,
and of a dirty white hue.”
The accompanying Plate represents the head of the animal of the size of life.

 

 

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