Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDONRoyal Society, December 7.— “Oa the Fossil Mammals of Australia. Part VI. Genus Phascolomys, Geoffr.”—By Prof. Owen, F.R.S. In this paper the author premises a reference to former ones on the Osteology of existing Marsupialia, in the “Transactions of the Zoological Society,” and to his “Catalogue of the Osteo-logical Series in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons,” in which are defined cranial characters serving to distinguish existing species of the genus Phascolomys, Geoffr.; and after showing, in subsequently received materials, the kind and extent of variety of such characters in the same species, he proceeds to apply the knowledge so gained to the determination of some fossil remains of species of Wombat, similar in size to the known existing kinds. The extinct Phascolomys Mitchelli, indicated by remains brought to England in 1835 by Sir Thomas Mitchell, C.B., the discoverer of the bone-caves of Wellington Valley, Australia, is determined by specimens subsequently obtained by Prof. Alex. M. Thomson and Mr. Gerard Krefft, from the same caves. A second species, distinguished by characters of the nasal bones, is called after its discoverer Phascolomys Krefftii. Modifications of the lachrymal, maxillary, and palatal bones in the existing kinds of Wombat are also applied to the determination of the fossils: specimens from the fresh water deposits of Queensland are thus shown to belong to the species Phascolomys Mitchelli, originally founded on fossils from the breccia-caves of New South Wales. The author next proceeds to point out the characters of the mandible in existing Wombats, available in the determination of extinct species of Phascolomys. On this basis he defines specimens which he provisionally refers to his Phascolomys Krefftii. He then points out the mandibular characters of Phascolomys Mitchelli, and shows that the existing Phascolomys latifrons was represented by mandibular fossils from the breccia-caves of Wellington Valley. Proceeding next to the description of fossil mandibular remains of the genus Phascolomys from the fresh water deposits of Queensland, the author defines Phascolomys Thomsoni, Phasc. platyrhinus, and Phasc, parvus. The latter, seemingly extinct, species is markedly inferior in size to any of the known existing species. An account of the extinct kinds of Wombat, exceeding in size the existing species, will be the subject of a succeeding communication. The present is illustrated by subjects occupying seven plates and eight woodcuts, all the figures being from nature, aud of the natural size.