﻿THE OPOSSUMS. 217 



or seven, one of which is placed as a centre and surrounded 

 by the others. 



Distribution. — Guiana and Brazil. 



XVII. GREY-FACED OPOSSUM. DIDELPHYS DOMESTICA. 



DideJphys domestica, Wagner, Archiv. fiir. Nat., vol. viii., p. 

 359 (1842); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 358 

 (1888). 



Characters. — Size large ; fur thick, straight, and soft General 

 colour pale grey, without dark eye-marks ; under-parts white or 

 greyish-white, sometimes tinged with yellow. Ears large and 

 rounded. Teats thirteen, of which three are central, and the 

 remainder arranged in lateral pairs. Fifth hind toe reaching to 

 the middle of the second joint of the fourth. Tail little more 

 than half the length of the head and body, its basal half-inch 

 furred and grey, elsewhere short-haired and dark brown. Length 

 of head and body of male about 5^ inches; of tail 2^ inches. 



Distribution. — Brazil. 



XVIII. RED-FACED OPOSSUM. DIDELPHYS SCALOPS. 



Didelphys (Peramys) scalops, Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 ser. 6, vol. i., p. 158, and Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 359 

 (1888). 



Characters — Form rather more light and slender than in the 

 last species, from which this one may be distinguished by the 

 rufous head, rump, and tail, and the grey fore part of the 

 back and under-parts. The number of teats is unknown. 



Distribution. — Brazil. 



This Opossum, in which the distribution of the rufous and 

 grey forming its general colour is very remarkable, was de- 

 scribed on the evidence of two specimens in the Britisii 



