II 



THE OPOSSUM 



WHAT is an opossum ? That is a question well worth 

 answering. 



Opossums are animals which should possess a special 

 interest for Americans, seeing that though the bulk 

 of the species inhabit quite another quarter of the 

 globe, it was nevertheless America which first made 

 known to us any one of them. The one which was 

 then first made known has, however, claims on the 

 attention of dwellers on both sides of the North Atlantic. 

 This claim is based on the fact that in very ancient times, 

 as the immortal Cuvier discovered, it was an inhabitant 

 of Europe. 



It was in Paris (at Montmartre) that were first found 

 the relics of these ancient animals, which still have 

 living representatives in America. To these still living 

 animals and to their allies we now propose to direct the 

 readers' attention by doing our best to present them 

 with an answer to our initial que&tion, " What is an 

 Opossum " ? 



Doubtless most readers have some notion of the 

 animal, which is still to be found in the south-eastern 

 parts of the United States, and is known as the Vir- 

 ginian opossum; nevertheless, a few descriptive words 

 may not be out of place here. 



It is about the size of a cat, with a pointed head and 



