Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 1.djvu/272

 The fur is short, and closely applied to the skin, though of a somewhat woolly texture, owing to each of the hairs of which it is composed being waved; the general tint is greyish brown, but faintly suffused with yellowish; on the under parts of the body of a paler hue than the upper; the fur of the back is of a deep brown colour next the skin, and each hair, excepting those which form the transverse black bands, is yellowish brown towards and dusky at the point; on the abdomen the hairs are of a paler brown at the root, and brown white externally; the black bands are usually about fourteen in number; they commence immediately behind the shoulders and are at first narrow and confined to the back, but, proceeding towards the tail, they become gradually broader and are more extended on the sides; those on the haunches are longest and often forked at their extremities; the general tint of the head is rather paler than that of the body, and the region of the eye is of a whitish hue, but a dark spot is observable at the anterior angle of the eye, and a narrow dark line runs over the eye; the muzzle is dusky, the edge of the upper lip white; the eye is large, full, and of a blackish brown; long black bristles spring from the upper lip, a few also occur on the cheeks, and above the eyes; the limbs externally and the feet scarcely differ in colour from the body; the tail is clothed at the base with a somewhat woolly fur like that of the body, crossed by three or four black bands, but about the commencement of the second fourth of the tail the hairs become short and harsh, closely applied to the skin, brown on the upper surface and pale brown beneath; on the under surface of the apical portion of the tail the hairs are comparatively long, as well as at the point where they are blackish.

The animals are figured in life-like positions, but necessarily much reduced; the figure of the head represents that of the male of the natural size.