Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 1.djvu/187

, Gould.

Woolly Phascogale.

specimen of the little Phascogale figured on the accompanying Plate was discovered by Sir Thomas Mitchell, during one of his expeditions into the interior of Australia. This specimen, which is now in the British Museum, appears to be fully adult. In form it is precisely similar to the Phascogale calura, but in size and colouring it is very different, being a much smaller animal, and having no trace of the rufous colouring so conspicuous on the basal portion of the tail of that species. I regret to state that no account of the habits of this little animal accompanied the specimen.

I am indebted to Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, for permission to figure and describe this new and interesting addition to the genus Phascogale. The paucity of the information we possess respecting it affords further evidence of the little we know respecting the smaller animals of the interior of Australia, an acquaintance with which is rendered all the more difficult of acquisition from the circumstance of the whole, or nearly the whole of them being nocturnal in their habits.

The fur is soft, and of a character somewhat more woolly than that of P. calura; its general colour is brown externally and grey next the skin, becoming hoary on the hind-quarters; under surface of the body greyish-white; eyes surrounded by a narrow ring of black; ears sparingly clothed with minute brown hairs; fore- and hind-feet white, becoming brownish-grey on the toes; basal portion of the tail brown, like the body; hairs of the apical half of the tail long and black, as is the under surface of the base to near the root.

The figures are of the natural size.