The mammals of Australia/Introduction/List
Order MARSUPIATA.
Section MONOTREMATA.
Genus Ornithorhynchus, Blumenb.
Habitat. New South Wales and Tasmania. Victoria and South Australia?
Genus Echidna, Cuv.
Habitat. New South Wales, Victoria, the islands in Bass's Straits. Southern and Western Australia?
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Genus Myrmecobius, Waterh.
Habitat. Western Australia, and parts of South Australia.
Genus Tarsipes, Gerv. et Verr.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Mr. Waterhouse is of opinion that this animal is most nearly allied to the Dromiciæ, yet he has not placed it near that form in his 'History of the Mammalia.'
Genus Chœropus, Ogilby.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales, South and Western Australia.
Genus Peragalea, Gray.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Genus Perameles, Geoff.
Habitat. Interior of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
12. Perameles macroura, Gould.
Perameles macroura, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part x. p. 4; Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 366.
Perameles macrurus, Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus. p. 96.
I have not figured this animal because, although twenty-one years have passed away since my description was published, I have never seen a second example; still I have no doubt of its being a distinct species. It greatly resembles P. obesula and P. nasuta, but differs from both in its larger tail. I transcribe my original description from the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' above referred to:—
"Corpore supra nigro et flavescenti-albo penicillato, infra sordide albo, pilis rigidis obsito; cauda pilis parvulis parce tecta, longitudine dimidio corporis æquante, supra nigra, infra fuscescenti-alba; auris mediocribus.
| unc. | lin. | |
| "Longitudo ab apice rostri ad basin caudæ | 16 | 3 |
| ———— caudæ | 7 | 3 |
| ———— ab apice rostri ad basin auris | 3 | 4 |
| ———— tarsi digitorumque | 3 | 1 |
| ———— auris | 1 | 2 |
"Habitat. Port Essington."
Habitat. South coasts of Australia and Tasmania generally.
14. Perameles Bougainvillei, Quoy et Gaim.
Perameles Bougainvillei, Quoy et Gaim. Zool. du Voy. de l'Uranie, p. 56. tab. 5, et Bull. des Sci.Nat. 1824, tom. i. p. 270; Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 385.
Habitat. Péron's Peninsula; in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Having never seen a specimen of this animal, I am unable to figure it, or to say if it be a good species.
Genus Phascolarctos, De Blainv.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Genus Phalangista, Cuv.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land. Victoria?
In one of the letters from my son Charles, now engaged in a geological survey of Tasmania, the following passage having reference to this animal occurs:—
"I lay down, looking up at the moon and stars, thinking of home, and dreamily listening to the crackling of the fire, when a diabolical, chattering, grunting laugh overhead makes me start up, and discover that a Sooty Opossum is making an inspection of me, with comments, from the branch above; his call is responded to by others, and a kind of concert commences, which is maintained at intervals throughout the night,—the smaller or Ring-tailed Opossums performing an active part in it also, and the 'More Pork' (Podargus Cuvieri) lending a little lugubrious assistance occasionally."
Phalangista melanura, Wagn., Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 288.
————— felina, Wagn., Waterh. ib. p. 294.
Goö-mal, aborigines of Western Australia.
Habitat. Probably every part of Australia; certainly all its southern portions.
18. Phalangista canina, OgilbyVol. I. Pl. 17.Habitat. New South Wales.
Ngö-ra, aborigines of Perth.
Ngork, aborigines of King George's Sound.
"This species," says Mr. Gilbert, "does not confine itself to the hollows of standing or growing trees, but is often found in holes in the ground, where the entrance is covered with a stump; it is frequently hunted out of such places by the Kangaroo-dogs. It varies very much in the colour of the fur, from a very light grey to nearly a black; in one instance I caught two, from the same hole, which exhibited the extremes of these colours."
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land and Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Genus Cuscus, Lacép.
Habitat. The Cape York district.
Genus Petaurista, Desm.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Genus Belideus, Waterh.
Habitat. New South Wales.
25. Belideus sciureusVol. I. Pl. 24.
Habitat. New South Wales and Victoria.
Habitat. New South Wales and Victoria.
Habitat. Cobourg Peninsula, on. the north coast of Australia.
Genus Acrobata, Desm.
Habitat. New South Wales and Victoria.
By some oversight the name of this species has been spelt on the plate and text Acrobates pygmæus.
Genus Dromicia Gray.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Dromicia Neillii, Waterh. Nat. Hist.of Mamm. vol. i. p.315?
Habitat. Western Australia.
32. Dromicia unicolor, Krefft.
Dromicia unicolor, Krefft in Proc. Zool. Soc. Jan.-22,1863.
"Fur of a uniform mouse-colour, lighter on the sides and beneath, with a blackish patch in front of the eye.
"All the hairs are slate-grey at the base, tipped with yellowish at the back and sides, and with grey beneath; longer black hairs, tipped with white, are interspersed, except on the under side of the body. Bristles black to within one-third of the tip, which is white; a few long bristly black hairs in front and behind the eye. Tail somewhat longer than the body, prehensile, thin, showing every joint; slightly enlarged at the base, and gradually tapering; covered with a mixture of light-coloured and black hairs; apical portion about ½″ from the tip, wide beneath.
| inches | |
| "Length from tip to tip. | 6¼ |
| Tail | 3¼ |
| Face to base of ear | ⅞ |
| Ear | ½ |
| Arm and hands | ⅞ |
| Tarsi and toes | ⅝ |
"This beautiful little creature was captured near St. Leonard's North Shore, Sydney, feeding upon the blossoms of the Banksias, and lived a few days in captivity. In its habits it is nocturnal. The tongue of this Dromicia is well adapted for sucking the honey from the blossoms of the Banksiæ and Eucalypti, being furnished with a slight brush at the tip. This species differs from the D. concinna of Western Australia in being of a uniform dark colour, without the white belly, and having the base of the tail slightly enlarged; it is about the same size as D. concinna."
Habitat. New South Wales.
Genus Phascogale, Temm.
Bäl-lard, aborigines of King George's Sound.
Habitat. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Swan River.
King-goor, aborigines of Williams River.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales and the colony of Victoria.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales.
Genus Antechinus, MacLeay.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land?
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. Southern and Western Australia.
Mr. George French Angas having sent me a skin of this animal from South Australia, I am enabled to state that its range extends from Western Australia to that colony.
Antechinus Stuartii, MacLeay in Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. viii. p. 242; Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 416. Mr. Waterhouse is of opinion that the animal described as A. Stuartii will prove to be identical with A. flavipes.
Dasyurus minimus, Geoff. Ann. du Mus. tom. iii. p. 362?; Schreb. Säugeth. suppl. tab. 152 B. e?
Phascogale minima, Temm. Mon. de Mamm. tom. i. p. 59?
————— affinis, Grey, App. to Grey's Journ. of Two Exp. of Disc. in Australia, vol. ii. p. 406.
————— (Antechinus) minima, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 419.
————— affinis, Waterh. ib. p. 421.
See Mr. Waterhouse's remarks on the animals indicated in the last five synonyms, Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. pp. 419, 421.
Habitat. New South Wales; and Victoria?
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Queensland.
Habitat. Queensland.
Genus Podabrus, Gould.
Habitat. Western and Southern Australia.
Genus Sarcophilus, F. Cuv.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Genus Dasyurus, Geoff.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land, New South Wales, and Victoria.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land and Victoria.
Bur-jad-da, aborigines near Perth.
Bar-ra-jit, aborigines of York and Toodyay districts.
Ngoor-ja-na, aborigines of the Vasse district.
Dju-tytch, aborigines of King George's Sound.
Mr. Gilbert was informed that the stomach of this animal is frequently found to be filled with white ants.
Habitat. South portions of the Australian continent generally.
54. Dasyurus hallucatus, GouldVol. I. Pl. 52.Habitat. Northern Australia.
Genus Thylacinus, Temm.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Genus Phascolomys, Geoff.
Phascolomys platyrhinus, Owen, Cat. of Osteol. Ser. in Mus. Roy. Coll. Surg. Engl. p. 334?
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land, and the islands in Bass's Straits.
57. Phascolomys latifrons, OwenVol. I. Pls. 57 & 58Habitat. Victoria and South Australia.
Habitat. Victoria and South Australia.
59. Phascolomys niger, Gould
Habitat. South Australia?
Family MACROPODIDÆ.
Genus Macropus, Shaw.
Habitat. New South Wales, Victoria, and Van Diemen's Land.
61. Macropus ocydromus, GouldVol. II. Pls. 3 & 4.Speaking of this animal, Mr. Gilbert states that, "if a female with a tolerably large one in the pouch be pursued, she will often by a sudden jerk throw the little creature out; but whether this be done for her own protection, or for the purpose of misleading the dogs, is a disputed point. I am induced to think the former is the case, for I have observed that the dogs pass on without noticing the young one, which generally crouches in a tuft of grass, or hides itself among the scrub, without attempting to run or make its escape; if the mother evades pursuit, she doubtless returns and picks it up.
"Those inhabiting the forests are invariably much darker, and, if anything, have a thicker coat than those of the plains. The young are at first of a very light fawn-colour, but get darker until two years old, from which age they again become lighter, till in the old males they become very light grey. In summer their coat becomes light and hairy, while in winter it is of a more woolly character. It is a very common occurrence to find them with white marks or spots of white about the head, more particularly a white spot on the forehead between the eyes. A very curious one came under my notice, having the whole of the throat, cheeks, and upper part of the head spotted with yellowish white; and albinoes have been frequently seen by the hunters."
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. South Australia.
63. Macropus melanops, Gould.
It will be seen that I have placed this name among the synonyms of M. major; but since my remarks on that species were written, I have seen other examples so closely accordant with the animal described by me under the above name in the 10th part of the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' that I think there is a probability it will prove to be distinct, and therefore, for the present, I restore the animal to the rank of a species.
Habitat. Southern and Western Australia.
Genus Osphranter, Gould.
Generic characters.
Muffle broad and naked; muzzle broad and rather short; ears moderate, rounded at the apex; fore limbs comparatively long and stout, and the toes and claws very strong; hind limbs short and muscular; middle toe very large; lateral toes but little developed; two smaller inner toes, which are united in one common integument as in other Kangaroos, terminate in a line with the small outer toe, or nearly so; under surface of the feet very rough, being covered with small horny tubercles.
The above characters, especially the great expansion of the muzzle, the comparatively small development of the lateral toes of the hind feet, and the greater size of the middle toe, should, in my opinion, be regarded as generic or subgeneric rather than specific; and it was for these reasons that I Proposed the new sectional title of Osphranter. See Proceedings of Zool. Soc. part ix. p. 80.
64. Osphranter rufus, GouldVol. II. Pls. 6 & 7.Macropus (Osphranter) pictus, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part xxviii. p. 373.
Habitat. New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
65. Osphranter Antilopinus, GouldVol. II. Pls. 8 & 9.
Habitat. Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Australia.
66. Osphranter Isabellinus, Gould.
Osphranter? Isabellinus, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part ix. p. 81.
General colour bright fulvous or sandy red; fur rather short, and soft to the touch; hairs uniform in tint to the base; throat and under parts of the body white, faintly tinted with yellowish in parts; fur of the belly long and very soft; the white or whitish colouring of the under parts and the uniform fulvous colouring of the upper surface and sides of the body do not blend gradually; tail similar in colour to the upper surface, but rather paler and uniform; hair of the fore feet and toes brown in front, yellowish on the sides.
The above description was taken from an imperfect skin procured at Barrow Island, on the north-west coast of Australia, and transmitted to me by Captain Stokes of H. M. S. "Beagle," and, in my opinion, pertains to a species of which no other example has yet been sent to Europe. Under this impression I have bestowed upon it the above specific appellation.
Habitat. Barrow Island, north-west coast of Australia.
Habitat. Mountain-ranges of the interior of New South Wales.
Habitat. Rocky mountains of the east coast of Australia from Port Stephens to Wide Bay.
Genus Halmaturus, F. Cuv.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Habitat. South Australia.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Northern Australia.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales.
Habitat. Brushes of New South Wales.
Thylogale Eugenii, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. i. new ser. 1843, p. 583.
Habitat. South Australia.
78. Halmaturus Houtmanni, Gould.
Halmaturus Houtmanni, Gould in Proc.Zool. Soc. part xii. p. 31.
"Of the whole of the islands forming Houtmann's Abrolhos," says Mr. Gilbert, "I found only two to be inhabited by this species, viz. East and West Wallaby Islands. On both of these they are so numerous, and have been so little disturbed, that they will allow of a very near approach, and may in consequence be obtained in almost any number. The male weighs, on an average, about 12 lbs.; but several old bucks I obtained exceeded this, the heaviest weighing 15 lbs. A mature female weighs about 8 lbs. They appear to have no regular season for breeding, for all the females had young ones in the pouch, of very small size and quite naked; and none were seen or killed less than a year old, at which age their weight is about 5 lbs.
"The Halmaturus Houtmanni inhabits the dense scrub growing on almost every part of the two islands above mentioned; and its runs cross and recross almost every inch of them—even the sandy beaches close to the water's edge, and among the thick scrub and Mutton-bird holes; in these runs there are little sheltered spots, beneath which they lie during the heat of the midday sun, feeding for the most part during the night. On the approach of man it does not bound off at full speed as other Kangaroos do, but very leisurely takes two or three leaps, and then remaining stationary in an erect position, looks around with evident surprise, and is then easily shot. In fact, from having been so little disturbed, it will allow itself to be run down and caught. I was enabled to catch two in this way. Four or five of my men being on shore, I directed them to surround a bush into which I saw one of these Wallabies run, when the animal, seeing itself approached on all sides, became so bewildered that, instead of attempting to escape, it thrust its head into the thick scrub and allowed us to catch it by the tail.
"One I have alive has a habit of frequently crouching down like a Hare, with its tail brought forward between and before its fore feet."
Adult Male. Face dark grizzled grey, stained with rufous on the forehead; external surface of the ear and the space between the ears dark blackish grey; sides of the neck, shoulders, fore arms, flanks, and hind legs rufous, palest on the flanks; a line of obscure blackish brown passes down the back of the neck and spreads into the dark grizzled brown of the back; throat and chest buffy white; under surface of the body grey; tail grizzled grey, deepening into black on the upper side and the extremity. Fur somewhat short, coarse, and adpressed; the base bluish grey, succeeded by rufous, then white, and the extreme tip black.
Adult Female. Similar in colour to the male, but of a more uniform tint, in consequence of the rufous colouring of the shoulders and flanks being paler, and the grizzled appearance of the back not so bright.
Young. Dark grizzled grey approaching to black, particularly along the back.
| Adult Male. | Female. | |||
| ft. | in. | ft. | in. | |
| Length from the nose to the tip of the tail | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| ––––– of tail | 1 | 2¼ | 1 | 2 |
| ––––– of tarsus and toes, including the nail | 0 | 5¾ | 0 | 5⅜ |
| ––––– of arm and hand, including the nails | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| ––––– of face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear | 0 | 4¼ | 0 | 4 |
| ––––– of ear | 0 | 2¼ | 0 | 2⅛ |
Notwithstanding Mr. Waterhouse's opinion that this animal is merely a variety of H. Derbianus, and what I have said in my account of that species tending to confirm his view of the subject, I have thought it best to append a copy of my original description taken from the examples sent home by Gilbert. Future research will determine whether it be identical with the H. Derbianus or distinct.
Habitat. Houtmann's Abrolhos, Western Australia.
79. Halmaturus Dama, Gould.
Halmaturus Dama, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part xii. p. 32.
Dama, aborigines of Moore's River.
Mr. Gilbert states that this animal "is an inhabitant of the dense thickets of the interior, and is so exceedingly numerous that their tracks from thence to their feeding-grounds resemble well-worn footpaths. Its general habits and manners resemble those of the Halmaturus Houtmanni. Mr. Johnson Drummond informs me that it makes no nest, but merely squats in a clump of grass like a Hare; that it feeds in the night on the hills; and it is very difficult to procure specimens, as the places it frequents are so dense as to render shooting it almost impossible, nor can a dog even chase it. The only chance of obtaining it is by the aid of the natives, a number of whom walking or, rather, pushing their way through and beating the bush as they go abreast, and loudly shouting 'wow, wow, wow,' drive the Damas before them, when, by waiting in a clear space, you get the chance of a shot."
General colour of the fur grizzled brown, becoming of a reddish tint on the back of the neck, arms, and rump; face grey, washed with rufous on the forehead; outside of the ears and the space between them blackish grey; hinder legs light brown; tail grizzled grey; under surface of the body pale grey.
| ft. | in. | |
| Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail | 2 | 11 |
| ––––– of tail | 1 | 2½ |
| ––––– of tarsus and toes, including the nail | 0 | 5¾ |
| ––––– of arm and hand, including the nails | 0 | 4¼ |
| ––––– of face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear | 0 | 4 |
| ––––– of ear | 0 | 2½ |
This animal is closely allied to, and of nearly the same size as H. Thetidis, but has much larger ears, and a much more dense and lengthened fur, the base of which is bluish grey, to which succeeds reddish brown, then silvery white, the extreme tips being black.
The above is the description of a female; the male will doubtless prove to be of larger size.
Habitat. Houtmann's Abrolhos and Western Australia.
80. Halmaturus gracilis, Gould.
Macropus gracilis, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc. part xii. p. 103.
Face and all the upper surface of the body grizzled grey and dark brown, the grizzled appearance being produced by each hair being greyish white near the tip ; sides of the neck and outer side of the limbs washed with reddish brown; margin of the anterior edge and the base of the posterior edge of the ear buffy white; line from the angle of the mouth dark brown; line along the side of the face, chin, and throat buffy white; under surface buffy grey; tail clothed with short grizzled hairs similar to those of the upper surface of the body, and with a line of black on the upper side at the apex for about one-third of its length; fur somewhat soft to the touch, grey at the base, then brown, to which succeeds white, the points of the hairs being black; there are also numerous long black hairs dispersed over the surface of the body; feet grizzled grey and rufous.
| ft. | in. | |
| Length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail | 2 | 6 |
| ————— of tail | 1 | 1 |
| ————— of tarsi and toes, including the nail | 0 | 5 |
| ————— of arm and hand, including the nails | 0 | 3¼ |
| ————— of the face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear | 0 | 3½ |
| ————— of the ear | 0 | 2¼ |
This is a very elegantly-formed little animal. In size it is somewhat smaller than H. Derbianus, and has much slighter fore arms.
Gilbert, who had a good knowledge of the Kangaroos, was always of opinion that this animal was quite distinct from every other species; and, from a careful examination of the single specimen he sent me, I entertain the same view; but I have not figured it because the example alluded to is the only one I have seen.
Habitat. The scrubs of the interior of Western Australia.
Habitat. Brushes of New South Wales.
Habitat. North-east coast of Australia.
83. Halmaturus BillardieriVol. II. Pls. 35 & 36.Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
84. Halmaturus brachyurusVol. II. Pls. 37 & *8.Habitat. Western Australia.
Genus Petrogale, Gray.
Heteropus albogularis, Jourd. Compt. Rend. Oct. 1837, p. 552, and Ann. des Sci. Nat. Dec. 1837, tom. viii. p. 368?
Habitat. The rocky districts of New South Wales.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. South Australia.
Habitat. East coast of Australia.
Habitat. North-western parts of Australia.
Habitat. North-western Australia.
Genus Dendrolagus, Mull.
Habitat. New Guinea.
Habitat. New Guinea.
Genus Dorcopsis, Mull.
Habitat. New Guinea.
Genus Onychogalea, Gray.
Habitat. North-eastern parts of Australia.
95. Onychogalea frænata, GouldVol. II. Pl. 54.Habitat. Interior of New South Wales.
Habitat. Interior of Western Australia.
Genus Lagorchestes, Gould.
Habitat. Western and Southern Australia.
Habitat. South Australia.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. Barrow Island, North-western Australia.
Habitat. The country bordering the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Mr. Blyth has described a species of this form under the name of Lagorchestes gymnotus, which he states is nearly allied to L. conspicillatus, and in all probability it is referable to one of the family figured in this work; but as the specimen is in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, it is impossible for me to determine this point. See "Report of Curator, Zoological Department, for May 1858," in ' Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal.'
Genus Bettongia, Gray.
Kangurus Gaimardi, Desm. Mamm. Supp. p. 542, sp. 842, 1822?
Hypsiprymnus Whitei, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de i'Uranie, Zool. p. 62, pl. 10, 1824?
Kangurus lepturus, Quoy et Gaim. Bull. des Sci. Nat. Jan. 1824, tom. i. p. 271?
Hypsiprymnus Phillippi, Ogilb. in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1838, p. 62?
————— formosus, Ogilb. ib. p. 62?
————— minor (Potoroo), Cuv. Reg. Anim. p. 185?
————— Hunteri, Skull in Roy. Coll. of Surg. of Eng.?
Habitat. New South Wales.
Wal-ya, aborigines of Perth and the mountain districts.
Woile, aborigines of King George's Sound.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Habitat. Southern and Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. South Australia.
Genus Hypsiprymnus, Ill.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Order RODENTIA.
Genus Hapalotis, Licht.
Habitat. New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
Habitat. South Australia; and Van Diemen's Land?
Habitat. Interior of the North-eastern portions of Australia.
Habitat. Port Essington.
Habitat. Northern Australia.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales and Victoria.
Habitat. Interior of New South Wales and South Australia.
Habitat. Interior of Western Australia.
Habitat. Western and Southern Australia.
Habitat. The interior of South Australia.
I think it likely that H. Mitchellii may not be the Dipus Mitchellii of Ogilby, but that the true H. Mitchellii and my H. cervinus may be one and the same animal. If this should ultimately prove to be the case, the H. Gouldii of Gray will be the correct designation of the animal I have called H. Mitchellii, to which the terms H. macrotis and H. Richardsoni of Gray, on the specimens in the British Museum, will also probably be referable.
122. Hapalotis arboricola, MacLeay.
This is another of the Australian mammals of which I have not had an opportunity of examining specimens.
Two coloured sketches, accompanied by the following notes, were kindly transmitted to me by Mr. Gerard Krefft:—
"The only example of this rarity which has yet been obtained has been presented to the Australian Museum by W. S. MacLeay, Esq. It was caught at Elizabeth Bay, where it inhabits the lofty Eucalypti, and builds a nest among the branches, with leaves and twigs, like that of a bird."
"Fur rather harsh to the touch, and of a slate-grey next the skin,—the longer hairs, or outer coat, being mingled ochreous and black; sides greyish, with an admixture of ochreous yellow, which becomes darker towards the back, and has the black hairs much longer than on any other part; outer surface of the ears clothed with very short white hairs; throat and abdomen white; tail thinly clothed with dark-brown hairs; toes of the hind and fore feet covered with short white hairs."
Genus Mus, Linn.
Habitat. The southern portions of Australia generally.
Habitat. South Australia.
Habitat. Banks of the Victoria River.
Habitat. Brushes of the eastern parts of New South Wales.
Habitat. New South Wales,and probably Western Australia.
128. Mus manicatus, GouldVol. III. Pl. 16.Habitat. Port Essington.
129. Mus sordidus, GouldVol. III. Pl. 17.Habitat. Darling Downs.
Mus gracilicaudatus, Gould in Proc.Zool.Soc.part xiii. p.77.
I now believe the animal I have thus named to be the same as M. lineolatus.
Habitat. Darling Downs.
Habitat. The interior of New South Wales and Western Australia, and probably of the intermediate countries.
Habitat. Interior of Western Australia.
Habitat. Western Australia.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Habitat. Port Essington.
Genus Hydromys, Geoff.
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
Habitat. The borders of the River Murray and Lake Albert in South Australia.
Habitat. Banks of the Rivers Hunter and Clarence in New South Wales.
Habitat. King George's Sound, and the waters near Perth in Western Australia. 140. Hydromys Lutrilla, MacLeay.
I have never seen an example of the animal thus named by Mr. MacLeay, and of which two coloured sketches, one by Mr. G. French Angas, and the other by Mr. Gerard Krefft, were kindly sent to me by the latter gentleman; and without an inspection and comparison of it with the other species of Hydromys, it is quite impossible for me to say if it be really a species or not.
The following notes, by Mr. Krefft, accompanied the sketches:—
"The Hydromys Lutrilla was discovered by W. S. MacLeay, Esq., on the edge of the water in front of his beautiful seat, Elizabeth Bay. It is the only specimen yet seen, and Mr. MacLeay has presented it to the Australian Museum.
"Fur remarkably soft, and of a vinous or brownish grey next the skin, covered with dark brown and some sandy-coloured hairs on the flanks, and buffy hairs on the sides of the neck; throat and abdomen white; fore legs somewhat paler than the other parts of the body, with the exception of a brown patch on the upper surface of the feet; toes clothed with light-brown hairs; nails white; tarsi sepia-brown; whiskers black and white intermixed, the upper and longer hairs being the dark-coloured ones; tail about 7 inches long, five of which are covered with dark brown coarse hair without any white at the tip.
| inches. | |
| "Length from tip to tip | 17 |
| ————— of tail | 7 |
| ————— of face to base of ear | 2 |
| ————— of tarsi and toes | 2″ |
Habitat. New South Wales.
Family CHEIROPTERA.
Genus Pteropus, Briss.
Habitat. Brushes of New South Wales.
142. Pteropus conspicillatus, GouldVol. III. Pl. 29.Habitat. Fitzroy Island, off the eastern coast of Australia.
Habitat. The northern portions of Australia.
144. Pteropus scapulatus, Peters.
Pteropus scapulatus, Peters in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, vol. ii. p. 231.
A description of this species has been published by Dr. W. Peters of Berlin, in the number of the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History' for March 1863. As this description did not appear until after these pages were in type, I have had no opportunity of examining the specimen described, and must therefore content myself with transcribing Dr. Peters's remarks respecting it:—
"The present species nearly approaches Pteropus medius in size, and is very easily distinguished from all other species by two humeral spots" of ochreous-yellow, "and also by the golden-yellow colour of the abundant woolly hair on the ventral side of the wing-membranes, which appears near the lumbar region, on the humeral membrane, and near the fore arm almost to its end."
Habitat. Cape York, Northern Australia.
Genus Molossus, Geoff.
Habitat. Victoria.
Genus Taphozous, Geoff.
Habitat. Northern coasts of Australia.
Genus Rhinolophus, Geoff.
Habitat. Cape York and Albany Island, Northern Australia.
149. Rhinolophus aurantius, GouldVol. III. Pl. 35.Habitat. Port Essington.
Genus Nyctophilus, Leach.
Habitat. Western Australia.
151. Nyctophilus Gouldi, Tomes.
Nyctophilus GeoffroyiVol. III. Pl. 37.Habitat. New South Wales.
152. Nyctophilus unicolor, TomesVol. III. Pl. 38.Habitat. Van Diemen's Land.
153. Nyctophilus TimoriensisVol. III. Pl. 39.Habitat. Western Australia.
154. Nyctophilus Australis, Peters.
Nyctophilus australis, Peters, in Abhandl. der Køonigl. Akad. der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1860, p. 135 and Tab.
See a valuable paper on the genus Nyctophilus, by Dr. Peters, in the above-mentioned Transactions of the Academy of Berlin.
Genus Scotophilus, Leach.
Habitat. New South Wales and Victoria; and South Australia?
Habitat. New South Wales and Victoria; and Western Australia?
Vespertilio Muelleri, Beck. Trans. Phil. Inst. Victoria, vol. iv. part i. p. 41, with plate?
Habitat. Van Diemen's Land; and the south coast of Australia?
158. Scotophilus picatus, GouldVol. III. Pl. 43.Habitat. The interior of South Australia.
Habitat. Queensland.
Habitat. Port Essington.
Habitat. New South Wales.
Genus Vespertilio, Linn.
Habitat. South Australia.
Habitat. Tasmania.
Family PHOCIDÆ, Gray.
Genus Arctocephalus, F. Cuv.
Habitat. Southern coasts of New South Wales and Tasmania.
Genus Stenorhynchus, F. Cuv.
Habitat. The coasts of Tasmania and the southern portions of Australia generally.
Family CANIDÆ.
Genus Canis, Linn.
Dwer-da, aborigines of Western Australia.
Habitat. Australia generally.
Although I have omitted the Whales and Dugong, I cannot, in justice to Mr. Wm. Sheridan Wall, omit to call attention to his 'History and Description of the Skeleton of a New Sperm-Whale lately set up in the Australian Museum; together with some account of a new genus of Sperm-Whales called Euphysetes,' published by W. R. Piddington, Sydney, 1851. In like manner, I cannot leave unpublished the following interesting letter respecting the Dugong, which has been forwarded to me by my brother-in-law, Charles Coxen, Esq., of Brisbane, Queensland:—
"The Dugong (Halicore australis, Owen) occurs in considerable numbers in Moreton Bay, but, I am led to believe, is not found further south. To the north it is plentiful in all the bays, such as Wide Bay, Port Curtis, Keppel Bay, &c., and all along the east and north coasts, in every situation suitable to its habits. In size it varies from six to nine feet in length, the latter being the size of a large "bull;" the weight also varies from 600 to 1000 lbs.; the girth at the largest part, just behind the flippers, is about six-eighths of the length; near the root of the tail it is very taper and small. The head is very peculiar: the eyes and ears are small; the nostrils small and oblique; the fleshy upper lip, which depends some three or four inches from the jaw, is peculiarly truncate in form, and covered with short stout bristles; the lower lip is globular, pendulous, and attached by a small neck to the jaw. The name given to the Dugong by the aborigines is Young-un. The flesh is greedily eaten and much sought for by them; and when they have been successful in procuring one or two, which occasionally happens, they gorge themselves in a most unseemly manner, and grease themselves all over with the fat and oil until they glisten in the sun like a roll of butter in the dog-days.
"The female, or 'cow' exhibits much tenderness in the care of her offspring, and when injured utters a low, plaintive, snuffling sound, which appears to be understood by the calf.
"In the spring or calving-time they frequent the smaller bays and inlets of Moreton Bay, and are found feeding, in the more tranquil spots, on the Algæ and other marine vegetable productions growing on the shoals near the mainland and the islands. During the winter months they are more frequently met with at sea, or outside the large bays. Their feeding grounds vary from four to ten feet at high water.
"Harpooning is at present the only mode of procuring the Dugong. The aborigines are very expert in the use of the instrument, and the quickness of their sight renders them superior to Europeans for such service; but the loss of time, and consequent expense, owing to the unsettled habits of the natives, and at times the ruffled state of the water, have prevented its capture being entered upon as a business. A few years ago a party commenced setting nets on the shoals frequented by the Dugong, and for a time they answered the purpose; but the men engaged got careless, the nets were torn and destroyed by sharks and porpesses, and the affair fell to the ground.
"The oil, owing to its medicinal qualities, is in considerable demand, and very many persons have derived considerable benefit from its use; it is preferred to cod-liver oil, as being less disagreeable to the palate and more easily retained in the stomach. It is white and almost tasteless, and is occasionally used for frying fish. The quantity varies, according to the condition of the animal, from three to ten gallons. The meat is very good, is in flavour between beef and pork, and when salted is much like bacon.
"The head, back, sides, and tail are dark broccoli-brown; the belly and under part of the flippers light broccoli-brown, according to Werner's Nomenclature of Colours."