﻿204 ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



HaMts. — According to Mr. W. H. Hudson an Opossum 

 which he identifies with D. aurita (= D. marsupialis)^ but 

 which from its bright yellow colour, both above and below, 

 and Weasel-like form, would appear to be the present species, 

 ranges southwards into the Argentine pampas. There he 

 describes it as both terrestrial and aquatic in its habits, 

 frequenting the low-lying lands subject to inundation, and 

 mostly devoid of trees. On dry land its habits are compared 

 to those of a Weasel ; while it dives and swims with ease in the 

 small lagunas (lagoons) dotted over the pampas, constructing 

 a globular nest of grass suspended from the flags and rushes 

 which abound in such spots. 



The same author states that Azara's Opossum likewise in- 

 habits not only the pampas of Buenos Ayres, but also the 

 desert regions of Patagonia, where not a tree is to be seen. 

 There it shuffles awkwardly enough along the ground ; but if 

 brought into a wooded district, at once reverts to an arboreal 

 life thus showing how persistent are inherited instincts and 

 habits. In describing a female and young of this variety, Mr. 

 Hudson states thaL when the latter have attained the size of 

 large Rats they are carried in all sorts of positions on the back 

 of the mother, although from his figure they do not seem to 

 twine their own tails round the parental tail in the manner charac- 

 teristic of some of the other species. The mother being less 

 than a Cat in size, the burden of carrying eleven young ones of 

 the dimensions of Rats may well be imagined, yet even with 

 such a tremendous load she is able to climb trees with activity 

 and speed. If Mr. Hudson is right in his specific identifica- 

 tion of the Opossum in question, it would appear that after a 

 certain age the young of a pouched species may resr t to the 

 maternal back as a resting-place. From its Weasel-like shape, 

 the Thick-tailed Opossum is admirably adapted to live in locali- 

 ties like the pampas, where the ground is covered for a large 



