FAMILY DIDELPHID^E. 3 



and they are of very rare occurrence in any part of the world.* There are about fifty living 

 species, distributed among ten or twelve genera, which have been described by different natu- 

 ralists ; but one only is found in the United States. 



GENUS DIDELPHIS. Linneus. 



Muzzle pointed ; cars large and me?nbranous. Internal toe of the hind foot opposable, with- 

 out a nail. Tail half hairy and scaly. Teats varying in number, and placed within the 

 pouch. Teeth, 48 - 50 : Incisors, y ; Canines, § ; Cheek teeth, ~ . 



THE AMERICAN OPOSSUM. 



DiDELPHIS VIRGINIANA. 



PLATE XV. FIG. 2 



Virginian Opossum. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 73; Hist. Quad. Vol. 2, p. 18, pi. 63. 

 he Sarigue a oreilles bicolorcs. Cuvier, Regne Animal, Vol. 1, p. 172. Ed. prima. 

 Diddphis virginiana. Harlan, Fauna, p. 119. Godman, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2, p. 7 (figure). 

 Virginian Opossum. Griffith's Cuv. Vol. 3, p. 24 (figure). 



Characteristics. Greyish white. Fur woolly, intermixed with long white hair. Ears black ; 

 base and margin flesh color. Length two feet. 



Description. Head long and pointed, with the facial outline nearly straight ; long black 

 bristles on the sides of the nose, over each eye and on the sides of the cheeks. Eyes oblique, 

 and placed near the facial outline. Nostrils separated by a groove. Ears thin, membranous. 

 Gape of the mouth wide, and exhibiting most of the teeth. Nails rather short, and curved 

 on all the toes, except on the thumb or inner toe of the posterior extremities. In the figure 

 given by Godman, this is represented as clawed, but his generic character asserts the con- 

 trary. Soles of the hind feet furnished with large fleshy tubercles. Mammae or teats are, 

 according to Desmarest, thirteen in number, and disposed in a circle around a central one ; 

 according to Godman, there are eight on each side, which we suppose to be the normal num- 

 ber. Tail enlarged at the base, where it is hairy for about four inches ; the remaining part 

 scaly, and covered with a few inconspicuous short rigid hairs. Fur of two kinds ; a short 

 woolly hair beneath, intermixed with longer and more rigid hairs, but all arc very soft. 

 Incisors ten above, the two anterior rather cylindrical, longest ; an interspace between the 

 incisors and the canine, which is compressed and pointed ; the first jaw tooth smallest, the 

 four first compressed, the three last transversely broader. In the lower jaw, the eight inci- 

 sors rounded and directed forwards, with no interspace between them and the canine. The 

 cheek teeth with regular points, and not transversely dilated. 



Color. Greyish white, darker along the sides ; on the face and abdomen, lighter grey. 

 This color is produced by the intermixture of the short wool, which is white at the base and 



* Broderip, Zool. Journ. Vol. 3, page 408. 



