THE OPOSSUM. 51 



liis paw up to ask him stop firin'. ' Air you David 

 Crockett ? ' says the crittur. ' I guess I am that 

 same,' replies the captain. ' Then hold hard, and 

 I'll kem down to you ; for I know I'm a dead 

 'possum, and there's no gettin' out of it no how.' " 

 The story had heen tokl before of this same Crockett, 

 but he did not contradict it. I have heard it 

 hinted that this coming down of the opossums with- 

 out firing, may he explained by the fact that the 

 captain uses an air-gun. 



^Vhen Shakespeare va'ote : " Therehy hangs atair' 

 (pardon the mis-spelling) he must have referred to the 

 opossum, for never did the appendage which Fourier 

 assigns to humanit}' assume such dimensions as with 

 this animal. It is usualh' ahoiit fifteen inches long ; 

 hlack and devoid of hair. With this, the opossum 

 can cling to trees, and hang from the branches as 

 he watches for the prey on which he feeds. It 

 is a most extraordinar}'- sight to see the creature 

 hanging in this manner, as if he were sleeping or 

 swinging for sport, and as if it cost him not the 

 slightest efiort to maintain his position. His grasp 

 is so firm, that you may kill the creature as he 

 swmgs without forcing him to let go his hold. You 

 may blow his head off with a charge of duck-shot, 

 and there he will hang until the bu'ds of pre}' have 

 picked his carcase, and even when the tail has 

 been cut off close to the dorsal spine, that marvel- 

 lous tail will still hang there. A travelling Metho- 



E 2 



