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Show 1895.] SOUTH-AMERICAN MARSUPIAL. 877 relationship at all (and only a parallelism) between the American Epanorthidee and the Australian Phalangeridce. The fact, therefore, that no forms at all similar have been found in any part of the Northern Hemisphere, while, with their headquarters in Australia, Diprotodonts have existed in South America at least since early Miocene times, is undeniably very much in favour of the views of those who advocate a former southern connection between Australia and S. America. So long as tbe Didelphgidce were the only South- American Marsupials known, there was no evidence from the Mammals in favour of, or against, the Southern Continent theory, for Opossums occur fossil half round the Northern Hemisphere, and are, perhaps, merely recent immigrants into S. America. But of late years the strictly Dasyurine relationship of some of the Santa Cruz Polyprotodonts (e. g. Prothylacinus) has been recognized, and now to add to this comes the proof that the Patagbnian Diprotodonts are really related to the Australian ones ; and as both of these groups are iu South America of undeniably ancient date, and wholly unknown in any part of the Northern Hemisphere, the case assumes quite a different aspect, and opponents of the theory will probably find it a very difficult matter to explain away the presence of such typically Australian animals in South America. The systematic information derived from the specimen under examination may be tabulated as follows :- Order MAESUPIALIA. Suborder DIPROTODONTA. Family EPANORTHIDEE. Non-syndactylous. Hallux present; not widely opposable. Incisors -| (in the recent genus). Lower posterior premolar not hypertrophied. Genus CEENOLESTES. Form as in Phascologale. Fifth fore-finger with a nail instead of a claw. Tail long, more or less prehensile. Rudimentary pouch present. Ante-orbital vacuities present. Palate very imperfect. Premolars f, the two posterior below large and functional. 1. CEENOLESTES PULIGINOSUS (Tomes). Size of a Water-Shrew. Hab. Ecuador (L. Fraser). 2. CEENOLESTES OBSCURUS, Thos. Size of a small Eat. Hab. Bogota (G. D. Child). P.S., Dec. 31, 1895.-The following remarks on Ceenolestes obs urus have just been received from Mr. Child :- " The little animal you speak of is called ' Raton Runcho,' which PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1895, No. LVI. 56 |
