The Opossum 65 
species, but certainly there is a great diversity among 
the individuals. 
The opossum is about the size of a large cat, its legs 
are short and its tail is long, scaly, and prehensile; 
its snout is long and somewhat pig-like, which accounts 
fur the tremendous width it can open its jaws. The 
fur is of a general yellowish color, but on the back 
and sides a greater part of the hairs are tipped with 
brown or black; intermingled is a liberal amount of 
pure white hairs. The brain cavity is small, but the 
senses of sight and smell are well developed. 
The opossum, although upon the whole a stupid 
animal, has one very clever habit, when attacked it 
simulates death most successfully. At such times the 
eyes are usually closed, the muscles are rigid, and 
no amount of rough handling will provoke any signs 
of life, until an opportunity for escape presents itself, 
when it will make all the haste of which a slow moving 
opossum is capable. The most effectual method of 
reviving the seemingly lifeless animal is to drop it 
into a pool of water. The shock of this unexpected 
procedure is apparently too much for it, and it speedily 
seeks the shore. The immersion usually ends the 
“playing ’possum,” for it will not readily try the 
stratagem again. This art has probably saved many 
opossums from destruction by other animals, but the 
