pointed. The ears and tail are naked. The tail is pre- 

 hensile and is used as a fifth foot. The animal can hang 

 head downward, suspended by its tail. 



The home of the opossum is usually in a hollow- 

 tree or in a burrow beneath a tree stump, where the 

 animal remains during the day. When darkness has 

 settled it ventures forth on its foraging expeditions. 

 The opossum is an omnivorous creature and feeds on 

 both animal and vegetable matter. It is fond of vege- 

 tables and fruits as well as insects and their larvae. It 

 also feeds upon smaller mammals. Sometimes the 

 'possum includes chickens in its diet and it undoubtedly 

 devours nesting birds and their young. 



Like many other animals, the opossum is con- 

 siderably diminished in numbers by hunters and trap- 

 pers. It is sought as food and for its fur. But it is still 

 quite common in Pennsylvania. While the opossum 

 is not always beneficial, it has never been a serious 

 menace and the writer suspects that its chicken taking 

 proclivities have been forced upon it by us humans 

 who generally take what we w^ant. Furthermore, we 

 are, frequently, considerably less scrupulous in secur- 

 ing what we desire, than are many of the w^ild animals. 

 The urge to live is one of the innate instincts in lower 

 animals as wxll as in humans. It w^ould, indeed, be a 

 source of great regret were the opossum to disappear 

 from our fauna. 



The opossum attains a total length of thirty 

 inches, the tail measuring about twelve inches. The toes 

 are long, slender, and widely spread. The fore feet are 

 used as hands, w^ith the toes clasping like fingers. There 

 are five toes on both the fore and hind feet. The first 

 toe on the hind foot is nailless and the soles of the feet 



-ij^ 65 >#•- 



