OCR Text |
Show 1900.] MR. R. LYDEKKER ON OVIS SAIRENSIS. 113 by its long fur and peculiar pale body-colour, which latter indeed seemed to be quite unique within the genus. Mr. Thomas also exhibited a Kangaroo which had been sent to him from Western Australia by Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, Curator of the Museum at Perth. Judging by its skull and more essential characters, it seemed to be assignable to Macropus robustus, the Wallaroo, of which Mr. Sclater's M. erubescens was the South and Central Australian representative. Its colour, however, was so different from either the Eastern or Central forms of the species that Mr. Thomas thought it necessary to distinguish it as a local subspecies, for wdiich he suggested the name Macropus robustus cervinus. With the exception of the head (which was greyish brown, much as in M. r. lypicus), the whole of the upper surface was of a deep rufous fawn, the hairs being of this colour to their bases. In both 31. r. typicus and M. erubescens the general colour was grey, the latter being rufous across the shoulders. Tips of dorsal hairs black. The chin, throat, and centre of the belly were whitish, not sharply defined. The limbs also more whitish than the body, but darkening to black on the tips of the fingers and toes. The tail was pale sandy rufous, its extreme tip above black. The skull and dentition were apparently quite similar to those of the true 31. robustus, except that, in common with M. erubescens, the third upper incisor was less elongated. Hind-foot of type, without claw, 241 m m. Skull-basal length 128 mm.; greatest breadth 76*5; nasals 58 x 22 ; diastema (to p'A) 36 ; combined length of three anterior grinding-teeth 32 ; horizontal length of i3 8*6, of p3 8. Hab. Pinda Station, Yalgoo, Murchison District, Western Australia. Type. Female (immature). B.M. No. 0.2.6.6.; original number 1213. Killed 15th August 1899, by the Perth Museum collector. Two specimens examined. Native name " Picquarda." With the specimens of 3Iacropus r. cervinus, Mr. Woodward had also sent several examples of the Bed Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), a species which, when the Catalogue of Marsupials was published, was not certainly known to inhabit Western Australia1. These examples were also from the Murchison District, and seemed to agree with the ordinary 31. rufus of Eastern Australia, showing no approximation to either 31. isabellinus or M. magnus. Mr. Lydekker, on behalf of M r . Bowland Ward, F.Z.S., exhibited the horns and skin of a male specimen in the winter coat of the Sheep which, on the evidence of specimens in the summer dress, he had named Ovis sairensis (' Wild Oxen, Sheep and Groats,'* 1 Cat. Mars. B. M. p. 27, 1888. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1900, No. VHI. 8 |