108 SQUIRRELS AND OTHER FUR-BEARERS 



The skin of the opossum is said to be so fetid 

 that a dog will not touch it. A dog is always 

 suspicious of an animal that shows no fear and 

 makes no attempt to get out of his way. This 

 fetidness of the opossum is not apparent to my 

 sense. 



After a while my patient began to be trouble- 

 some by climbing upon the book-shelves and in- 

 specting the books, so I concluded to discharge 

 him from the hospital. One night I carried 

 him to the open door by his tail, put him down 

 upon the door-sill, and told him to go forth. 

 He hesitated, looked back into the warm room, 

 then out into the winter night, then thought of 

 his maimed feet, and of traps in holes where un- 

 suspecting possums live, and could not reach a 

 decision. " Come," I said, " I have done all I 

 can for you ; go forth and shift for yourself." 

 Slowly, like a very old man, he climbed down 

 out of the door and disappeared in the darkness. 

 I have no doubt he regained his freedom with a 

 sigh. It is highly probable that, if a trap is set 

 in his way again, he will put his foot in it as 

 innocently as before. 



One day in March one of my neighbors 

 brought to me a handful of young possums, 

 very young, sixteen of them, like newly born 

 mice. The mother had been picked up dead on 



