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Show 460 . DR. E. A. GOELDI ON THE [June 5, markings are on the limit between distinct and indistinct, and I consider this circumstance as a good external character for a rapid discernment of D. aurita. Only in one case-a young female-• were these face-markings very distinct, as yellowish longitudinal stripes. All the figures I know of D. cancrivora represent this animal with very indistinct face-markings (compare Burmeister, pi. iv.); and on the other hand the authors always draw D. azarce and D. cdbiventris with most conspicuous face-markings (cf. Burmeister, pis. i., ii.). In regard to the colour of the ears, I repeat what I said in m y little work on the Mammals of Brazill, that D. aurita and D. cancrivora have uniformly dark-brown coloured ears, and, so far as concerns the first, I had full occasion to make this statement on the living animal. Dentition.-Much has been written about the dentition of Didelphys, and the literature has been thoroughly co-ordinated by Mr. H . Winge, ' Pungdyr,' p. 113 and p. 122 et seq. For the present I have no mind to write at all fully on this matter and I will restrict myself to the remark that abnormalities are so rare that I have never yet seen a single skull of an adult D. aurita with a formula other than strictly |xf|. This contrasts somewhat with some of our Brazilian carnivorous animals ; the Tayras (Galictis), for example, often show some symmetrical abnormalities in the number of molars. 2. METACHIRUS QUICA. Of the subgenus Metachirus, established by Burmeister in 1856, no other form was observed by m e in the Serra dos Orgaos than the common " Quica" (Didelphys opossum, Linn., of Thomas), which is frequently seen in the forest as well as in the neighbourhood of Tazendas. In snares destined especially for Eodents I constantly found this beautiful but stupid and incautious marsupial. My collection contains about a dozen individuals from this locality. There is great uniformity in the general colour: all show the same clear glistening grey above and a yellowish belly. I never met with a female of the reddish tone indicated by Burmeister, pi. viii.2 I may mention here that some years ago I took an ones (C> $, 5 J) and 45 white ones (22 $, 23 5), and that among 9 young individuals, still contained in tbe mother's pouch, he observed one black, two mixed, and six white ones. This observation, together with my own above cited (young male and half-grown female), proves that Burmeister is wrong when he denies the existence of young Didelphys with white bristle-hairs with the words:-" Kein .junges Thier hat weisse Grannen " (Erlaut. p. 58). 1 E. A. Goeldi, ' Os marmniferos do Brazil.' Rio de Janeiro (Alves e Cie.), 1893. Monographias brazileiras, vol. i. 2 I confess that I was doubtful as to the existence of such reddish " Quicas" until recently. Almost at the moment of posting these notes, m y family in Rio de Janeiro gave me on my return from Colonia Alpina a great surprise by a present of a nice young male " Quica," very well corresponding to Burmeister's figure. Its eyes are also reddish brown(cherry-colour), somewhat like those of an albino, and its tail is throughout, but especially on the basal |
