Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 3.djvu/21



is with a degree of mixed pleasure and regret that I bring before the notice of the scientific world this new species of Hapalotis. It was brought home by that young and intelligent naturalist, the late Mr. J. R. Elsey, Surgeon to the expedition conducted by A. C. Gregory, Esq., from the north-western coast of Australia to Moreton Bay: all who like myself had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the amiable qualities of this gentleman, cannot but regret the loss the science of natural history has sustained by his premature decease. On the part of Dr. Gray, I brought this animal before the Meeting of the Zoological Society held on the 24th of November, 1857, and gave it the name of hemileucura, a term suggested by the parti-colouring of the tail. Only a single specimen was procured, and this is now in the British Museum. I am unable to state the precise locality in which it was obtained, but believe it was about midway between the Gulf of Carpentaria and Moreton Bay.

The Hapalotis hemileucurus is a harsh wiry-furred animal, nearly allied to, but considerably larger than, the H. melanura, from which it also differs in having the apical half of the tail white.

Head, all the upper surface and flanks very light sandy brown, with numerous, but thinly placed, fine, long black hairs; under surface buffy white, with even lighter feet and fore-arms; tail brown, deepening into black about the middle, beyond which the apical portion is white, the white hairs being prolonged into a small tuft at the tip.

The figures are of the natural size.