that are eaten, and these are constantly exposed for sale in Hobart Town, Launceston, and other parts
of the country. The female closely resembles the male in colour, but is about one-third less in size.
Mr. Waterhouse, who gave the specific appellation of Bennettii to this animal, in honour of a late
talented Secretary of the Zoological Society, is now inclined to consider it to be merely a local variety
of the Halmaturue ruficoUis of New South Wales, an animal which does not accord with it in colour, and
which is of a somewhat larger size; it will be seen that I have treated them as distinct: in either case it
becomes necessary, in order duly to illustrate the subject, to figure both.
Fur rather long and moderately soft; general tint a very deep grey, inclining^ to black on the back;
somewhat paler on the sides of the body, with a rnst-like tint on the back of the neck, base of ears, the'
haunches, shoulders, and in the region of the eye; under surface of the body and the inner side and'fore
part of the hinder legs greyish-white 5 muzzle black ; crown of the head brownish-black ; an obscure whitish
line extends backwards from the comers of the mouth, and becomes obliterated on the cheeks; lips dirty-
white i chin blackish j ears white internally, black externally; hands, toes, and outer side of the heel black ■
hairs of the tail (excepting at the base, where they are of the same colours and character as those of the
body) black, broadly annulated with white near the apex ; tip of the tail black, under side of the tail white;
the hairs on the upper part of the body are of a deep slate-colour at the base, the remaining portion of each
hair is black, annulated with white, or more generally with pale rust-colour; on the under parts of the
body the hairs are of a deep slate-colour, with the apical portion white.
The figure of the head is of the natural size; that of the entire animal is much reduced.