ÉÉ InBMr i
PETROGALE INORNATA, Gould.
Unadorned Rock Wallaby.
Petrogale inornata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 5.—lb. Mon. of Macropodidæ, pl. .—Gray, List of
Spec, of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 92.
Macropus (Heteropus) inomatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist, of Mamm., vol. i. p. 175.
T his new species, tor which I am indebted to the kindness of B. Bynoe, Esq., of H.M.S. Beagle, differs
from all the other members of the genus in the unusual uniformity of its colouring. Mr. Bynoe collected
it on the north coast of Australia. In size it is about equal to the P. lateralis of the western coast, to
which, as also to P. penicillata, it is very nearly allied, but differs from them both in being destitute of
any markings on the sides, in the absence of any dark colouring behind the ears, and in the light colouring
of the arms and tarsi.
During the interval of nearly twenty years which has elapsed since I first characterized this animal, no
additional examples of this, or any other mammal of the rarely visited part of Australia it inhabits, have
reached this country; but when the north coast of Australia shall have been thrown open to the settler,
it will doubtless be found that the Petrogale inornata is as abundant in the rocky districts of that part
of the country as the P. penicillata is in the brushes of New South Wales.
General colour of the upper parts sandy grey, grizzled over the shoulders, and becoming much lighter
on the flanks; an indistinct line of a lighter hue along the face under the eye; a dusky red patch behind
the elbow; under surface saudy white, inclining to rufous on the lower part of the abdomen; arms and
tarsi sandy grey, passing into dark brown at the extreme tips of the toes ; basal half of the tail saudy brown,
the remainder black, the former colour extending along the sides of the tail for some distance towards
the tip ; ears sandy grey, bordered by a very narrow line of dark brown on their inner edge ; a dark patch
at the occiput, passing into a dark line down the forehead.
Female,
feet, inches.
Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the t a i l 3 2
| of t a i l .................................................................................................................. 1 3 i
,, of tarsus and toes, including the n a i l ...................................................... 5-f
„ of arm and hand, including the n a i l s ...................................................... 5
„ of face, from the tip of the nose to the base of the e a r ...................... 4g-
„ of e a r s ........................................................................................................ i 1-j.
The accompanying Plates represent the head of the natural size, and a reduced figure of the entire animal.