14 WILD LIKE IN .NEW ZEALAND. 



(Trirhnsiirnif rnfjit ri'ln j. AM) S<>>TY OPOSBUU 

 ( T richn.'dinin fltliginotO ). 



People who live in or near tin- hush in many parts of Ne\\ 

 lainl kn\v that anmnu tin- t n < lie found numerous furry 



animals ahout the si/e of a l)ir terrier do-;. which are popularly 

 known as opossums. The name is a misnomer. like so many 

 j'opular names. The true o].ossums an- found only in America; 

 thrv lielnni: to a different family of marsupials, ami art carnivorous. 

 Hur animals are lierhi vorou>. ami ouLfht to he called phalaiiL" 

 hut the other name will always stick to them now. 



These animals are not usually seen durinu the daytime, hut 



come out at niu r ht. ami, when other kimls of food are short, 



may make an attack on the orchards and eat the apples and pears 



ire becoming ripe. But Inrause they are chiefly nocturnal 



in their hahits youn.i: people seldom see tlu'iii. and unohservant 



people may live in a district containing thousands of opossums 



and ni-vei know that they occur in the neidihourhood. These 



animals an- not natives of New Zealand. They were first linmjrht 



to this country from Australia ahoiit sixty ye,, ,:iid were 



liherated near Riverton. Later import at inns have frequently heen 



made, hoth private individuals and aeclimat i/at ion societies intm- 



duciii!_ r them. Thus the Auckland Society and Sir (Irm 



hioiii.rliT a considerable nutuhei 1 from Australia hetwfen lM>!> and 



i. and Kawau at one time was overrun with them. The \Yel- 



liniMon Society liherateil nineteen Tasmanian Mark opossums in 



the i :' .raparauinii in IS!)!'; and the Ota-o Society 



"p.^Minis from (iip]sland in IS!)."), ami 



liherated them in the Tallin's district. Thev have increased greatly 

 in movi wooded pnrts of the Doi-iinion. 



Tin- opossum is a niai-Mjpial that is. its youni: are hroiiLrlit 



forth in a very rudinientarv condition, and are carried hy the 



mother in a vpecial pouch, which is jirovided with teats. \Vhen 



1\ horn the\- arc little hlind (.'). nake(l creatures, m.t half as 



h>n.' | little fiiiL'er. The mothei- takes the little one in her 



lip< and j. laces it in the pouch with its mouth to a teat, and in this 



position it is carried for alumt four months. Kor the next two 



Mis it rides 01, the mother's h ;l ck. until it is ;d>le to look after 



If, I 1 1- mother \\hen ;d.oin si\ months old. and is 



Inn nearlv half-L'rown . Tin- oj-ossum has onlv one voiniir one once 



