2o8 GLOSSARY 



O 



ocelot (o'sfe-lot). The leopard cat of America. It is from 

 three to four feet long. About one foot of this length 

 is tail. The color is grayish marked with dark spots. 

 It is found as far north as Texas and south into South 

 America. 



opossum (o-pos'um). Tree-dwelling animals varying in size 

 from the bulk of a large cat to that of a rat. They have 

 a well-known trick of playing dead— " playing possum" 

 — when caught. On the under side of her body the 

 female has a pocket like the pouch of a kangaroo in 

 which she carries her babies. 



P 



Panama (pa-na-ma')- A Central American republic covering 



the Isthmus of Panama; once a part of the RepubUc of 



Colombia. 

 papaya (pa-pa'ya). A small tree with fruit like a melon. 

 parrakeet (par'a-ket). A small bird belonging to the parrot 



family. 

 patois (pa-twa')- A dialect. 

 peccary (pek'a-ri). The wild pig common in Central and 



South America. They extend north into Texas. 



Pedro Miguel (pa'dro me-gel')- The locks at the Pacific 

 end of Gatun lake. 



pelican (pel'i-kan). A large water-bird with a great skinny 

 pouch under its bill. 



peripatus (pe-rip'a-tus). A curious wormlike animal that is 

 ■ half worm and half insect. 



porcupine (por'ku-pin). A four-legged animal bristling with 

 spines. 



Porto Bello (por'to bel'o). An old Spanish town on the Carib- 

 bean coast of Panama. A great fair and market was 

 held here every year. 



