44 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69 



Desniodus rotundus mnrinus. 

 Diphytta centralis. 

 Nataliis me.ricanus. 

 My Otis nigricans. 



Myotis sp. ? 



Eptcsicus propifiqinis, 

 Eptcsiciis fuscus niiradorciisis. 

 Nyctois borcalis vtcxicava. 

 Dasyptcrus cga panantcnsis. 

 Rhogccssa tuniida. 

 Molossops plaiiirostris. 

 Eiinwps nanus. 

 Eumops glaucinus. 



Molossus coibcnsis. 

 Molossus sinaloae. 

 Molossus bondae. 

 Saimiri brstedii orstcdii. 

 Actus sonalis. 

 Lcontocebus geoffroyi. 

 Alonatta paUiata inconsonans. 

 Alouatta coibcnsis. 

 Ccbiis capucinus capucinus. 

 Ccbus capucinus imitator. 

 .■I teles geoffroyi. 

 A teles dariensis 



GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE ]\IA]\IMALS 

 Class MAMMALIA 



Order MARSUPIALIA. Marsupials 

 Family DIDELPHIIDAE. Opossums 



The opossums, which constitute the only large American family of 

 existing- Marsupials/ are represented in Panama by six genera. They 

 vary in type from the large familiar opossum of the southeastern 

 United States to the woolly opossums, the web-footed water opos- 

 sum, and species so small that ordinary observers often mistake them 

 for rats or mice. The small species, to which the rather misleading 

 term '* murine " is often applied, may perhaps be most easily recog- 

 nized as opossums by the wide mouth and numerous teeth visible, the 

 opposibility of the toes, and the remarkable resemblance to hands 

 exhibited by both fore and hind feet. The American ]\Iarsupials are 

 as a group essentially tropical in distribution, although one or two 

 species push well northward into the temperate zone in North 

 America and ascend to the upper slopes of high mountains in Middle 

 America. 



Genus CHIRONECTES Illiger 



The water opossums are distinguished from the other opossums 

 by black and gray marbled dorsal markings, the rounded black areas 

 confluent along the median line of the back. The fur is dense, some- 

 what like that of an otter ; the hind feet are completely webbed and 

 the animal generally fitted for an aquatic life. In general structure 

 Chironectes is very similar, however, to the other opossums. It was 

 regarded by Thomas - as most nearly related to the genus Metachirus. 



^ The other existing American family of the order, Caenolestidas, includes the 

 aberrant genera Cccnolcstcs and Orolcstcs which are restricted to South 

 America. 



• Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 366, 1888. 



