NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 85 



Eyes black, small, and very sinister — the latter because they 

 are set obliquely in the head. Bare portions — such as nose, ears, 

 soles of feet, and tip of tail — pale flesh-colour. Fur, yellow or 

 yellowish-brown, deeper in colour on the abdomen, but varying 

 there to an orange or reddish tinge. Frequently very beautiful 

 varieties are found, either bright orange, or orange with a coppery 

 tinge of red, both metallically bright; but after two or three weeks 

 I have always been disappointed by finding the skins change to a 

 dull, dead colour, completely losing the pretty gloss they have in life. 

 The fur is short, but very close and fine. Occasionally one sees a 

 tobacco pouch of yellow 'possum skin, which is the only use it is 

 ever put to. 



Though of late the species has been very abundant in this 

 district, three years had passed here before I met with it for the 

 first time, which is rather surprising, considering that I was then 

 regularly egg-hunting in its favourite haunts — the swamps and fens. 

 Since then the swamps have been unusually full of water, remain- 

 ing so even during each summer's drought, and consequently 

 affording both security and abundance of food for the animal in 

 the shape of young birds and eggs. 



The aforesaid first-met-with specimen I found in a " Biscachero," 

 a colony of Lagostomus trichodactylus, while drowning out Bis- 

 cachos one day. Desirous of securing it alive if possible, I took 

 off* my coat and endeavoured to entangle it in that — no easy 

 matter, for it would turn on me now and then, and spring at my 

 knee above the riding boot. Even when I did manage to throw 

 my coat over it, its head would suddenly appear in the most 

 unexpected proximity to my hands and cause me to let go. Success- 

 ful at last, I drove my bowie-knife into the ground, and, clasping 

 one end of a long silver watch-chain to the Opossum's hind leg, 

 attached it by that. At sundown I returned for my captive, but 

 was rather puzzled as to how I should get on to my horse with it, 

 as I was riding bare-backed, and the said horse was young and 

 anything but quiet. So I elected to reach for the knife without 

 dismounting, and after a short struggle managed to do so; but at 

 the critical moment my horse shied, his 'possum ship swung up 

 against the off fore-shoulder and incontinently put in his teeth, upon 

 which I experienced the well-known sensation of being astride a 

 young earthquake, followed by the pampas rising up and striking 

 me heavily over the bead and shoulders. Then I "went for that 



