6a.

a6.

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BBA6362

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PHALANGISTA CANINA, Ogiidy.

Short-eared Phalangista.

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6568

168:

Phalangista canina, Ogilby in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part iv. p. 191.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus.,
p. 85.—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 296.

 

BOBSDCOGOS,

Tuts is a powerful animal, fully equalling in size the P. fuliginosa. It is at once distinguished from that,
and from every other known species of the genus, by the short and rounded form of its ears. It is much
more restricted in its habitat, beg, so far as my knowledge extends, exclusively confined to the brushes of
New South Wales, particularly those in the neighbourhood of the Hunter, Clarence, and Richmond rivers,
Its habits and economy closely resemble those of its near

, $50

SOSobo506

and the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range.
ally the P. vudpina, but it is much more fierce in its disposition. Like the P. fuliginosa, it is subject to
much variation in its colouring, some specimens being black, while others have a reddish tinge pervading
the shoulders and flanks; the prevailing tint is a dark grizzly-grey, similar to that represented in the
accompanying Plate.
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s description of this animal, taken from the typical specimen in the
Museum of the Zoological Society of London :—
and somewhat woolly ; its general hue is grey, being finely pencilled with black
e of the body it is white, but each hair is indistinctly suffused with yellow
y-brown mark ; ears nearly naked
kind as that on the head, and of a

The fur is long, dense,
and white ; on the under surfac
externally, and is greyish next the skin; on the chest is a narrow rust
internally ; externally they are furnished at the base with fur of the same

blackish hue, but towards the exterior margin the hairs are whitish ; muzzle dusky,
tail very bushy, coloured at the base like the body, the thick bushy

and the eye surrounded

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by the same dark hue ; feet blackish ;
ack; apical third of the under surface and the tip of the tail naked ;

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hairs on the remaining portion bl
moustaches black ; claws pale horn-colour.
The figure is somewhat smaller than the natural size of the animal.

 

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