“McLaren” opossum

Discovery of New Marsupial in St. Matthias Group, N.G.

A NEW species of ring-tailed opossum from New Guinea is intriguing Aus tralian naturalists and scientists. Cap tured in the St. Matthias Group, away to the north-east of the N.G. mainland, specimens were brought to Victoria re cently by Captain G. H. McLaren, a for mer S.D.A. missionary in the Mandated Territory, who presented them to Pro fessor Wood Jones, of the University of Melbourne.

Professor Wood Jones has prepared an official scientific description of the new specimens, naming them after Mr.

McLaren. Two of the specimens are merely carcases, one a male and the other a female, but the third is a lively ball of white fur which has been living deli cately for weeks upon bananas, passion fruit, biscuits, milk, and honey, with occa sionally a tropical papaw or a nibble of apple or carrot. The specimens are the only three in the world outside their na tive home, St. Matthias, whence an attempt is being made to obtain a mate for the little epicure.

The animal is a cuscus, a marsupial similar in some respects to a rare species in tropical Australia, but instead of being grey, with whitish blotches, it is a pure creamy white, with beautiful fur, and a disarming countenance. In some respects it is like a koala, but smaller.

Mr. R. Nettleship, Customs Officer at Salamaua, departed for New Guinea by the Montoro on August 27, after a holi day in Sydney.

Mr. R. A. Kudnig, mining- engineer, left Sydney for the Solomon Islands by the Malaita on August 2G. Having been en gaged by Sheeba Mining Options Ltd., he will look over a new area on Bougain ville Island which has not previously been reported on. The property is said to carry copper and gold in payable quan tities, and Mr. Kudnig will spend six weeks in the Northern Solomons making thorough tests. Sheeba Mining Options Ltd., registered at Canberra in April last, recently acquired from Sheeba Options No Liability their interests in certain properties being investigated in Papua and New Guinea.