HALMATURUS AGILIS, Gowa.
Agile Wallaby.

Spec. Char.—Haln. fulous, supra nigro adspersus, infra sordide albus ; aurium apicibus externis et margine antieo nigris ;
striga fuscescente utrinque ab oculis usque ad nares producta, et infra hance lined alba ; clunibus lined albidé notatis ;
cauda longa pilis brevibus albidis, ad basin supra flavidis, ad apicem nigrescentibus, induta.

Descr.—Fur rather short, adpressed, and harsh to the touch; general colour sandy yellow; the upper surface of the
head and body freely pencilled with blackish, the hairs being of this colour at the point; chin, throat and chest
dull white; abdomen yellow, the hairs terminated with white; limbs pale sandy yellow externally and white on
their inner side, the arms externally pencilled with blackish; tarsi nearly white, passing into rusty on the toes ;
lips whitish, and a whitish mark from the lip to beneath the eye, parallel with which is another of a dusky hue ;
ears white within, externally sandy yellow at the base and broadly margined with black at the apex, and with a
narrow black line along the inner edge; on each side of the rump an oblique whitish line; tail sparingly clothed
with nearly white hairs except at the base, which is like the body; the tip of the tail black.

Male. ;
feet. inches.
Leman nro WHO MORES tO Woe© Ae Of n@ tll » 4 co o 6 o 0 0 o & 3
oS
a Of tall yee ae ae ee es Re 6
. PUA SH ATG CO Cs eesTmN CIN CLIN amt IC) Oca ye 10
“ » arms and hand, including the nails . 9

, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear
5 pCa es

Halmaturus agilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IX. p. 81.

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Tuis new species of Wallaby may be readily distinguished from every other by its short, wiry, adpressed hair, and the
almost uniform sandy brown colour of the body ; the male is also remarkable for having very powerful incisors, and also
for having the outer toe much developed, whence results a deep cleft between it and the middle one; the head is also
longer and more pointed than in any other species which I have seen.

The Agile Wallaby appears to be abundant on all the low swampy lands of the northern coast of Australia. I have
seen many specimens from the Cobourg Peninsula; and it is common both near the settlement of Port Essington and
at Raffles’ Bay. I have also had others placed at my disposal for ‘the purpose of describing by Mr. Bynoe of H.MLS.
the Beagle, which were collected on the shores of Torres Straits. It is stated to be a most agile species, readily
eluding the dogs employed in hunting it by its extreme activity in leaping among the high grass ; when chased it fre-
quently seeks shelter in the thick beds of mangroves, passing over the muddy flats in such a manner as almost to baffle
all pursuit.

In size, when full grown, the male is nearly equal to Hi. Ualabatus.