HAPALOTIS APICALIS, Gould.
White-tipped Hapalotis.
Hapalotis apicalis, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc., 1834, p. 126.
This new species is about the size of, and similar in colour to, H. albipes, but it differs in having larger ears, much more delicately formed feet, the tail nearly destitute of the long brushy hairs towards the tip, and smaller eyes.
I possess a single example only of this species; it was procured by Mr. Strange in South Australia. There is an animal in spirits in the British Museum, presented by R. C. Gunn, Esq., from Van Diemen's Land, which accords very closely with it in the colouring of the fur, and in the rat-like form of the tail; it is, however of much smaller size, and in all probability will prove to be a new species.
Face and sides of the neck blue-grey; upper part of the head, space between the ears, the ears and upper parts of the body pale brown, interspersed with numerous fine black hairs; under surface white; flanks mingled grey and buffy white; fore feet white, with an oblique mark of dark brown separating the white from the greyish brown of the upper surface; hinder tarsi and feet white; basal three-fourths of the tail brown, apical fourth thinly clothed with white hairs.
The figures are the size of life.
