Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/217



on a collecting expedition, on behalf of the University Museum of Christiania, to Africa and Australia (from 1893–96), I spent nearly two years travelling in the northern and north-western portions of the latter continent, investigating the little-known fauna of this region. Special interest was devoted to the mammals, and, besides amassing a good collection, my work in this branch was rewarded by the discovery of several species of interest, some of which are new to science. A descriptive list of the mammals, by Professor R. Collett, will shortly be published in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.'

The following short notes descriptive of the life and habits of these little-known animals may, I venture to hope, prove of some value to readers who take an interest in the zoology of tropical Australia.

The hardships of travel have undoubtedly put their limitation on my investigations, and no one is more aware than myself how superficial they are, or how little insight they give the reader to the real animal life in the virgin forests of the north. Nevertheless I feel it my duty to commit them to paper, hoping that in course of time I may be able to place a further and more detailed account of my travels before the public. Zool. 4th ser. vol. I, May, 1897.