33-2 NATURAL HISTORY. 



pap, which they hold with their mouth, but when 

 Ihey are strong enough to walk ; then they fall into 

 the bag, and go out, and seek for their subsistence. 

 They go in again to sleep, to suckle, and to hide them- 

 selves when they are terrified. When the mother flics, 

 and carries in it the young, her belly does not seem 

 bigger when she breeds than usual, for in the time 

 of the true gestation, one can scarce perceive her to 

 be pregnant. 



From the mere inspection of the form of the feet of 

 this animal, it is easily to judge, that it walks awk- 

 wardly, and seldom runs. One walking moderately 

 may easily outstrip it. It climbs up trees with great 

 facility, hides itself in the leaves to catch birds, or 

 hangs itself by the tail, the extremity of which is mus- 

 cular, and flexible as the hands, so that it may squeeze, 

 and even incurvate all the bodies it seizes upon. It 

 sometimes remains a long time quiet in this situation. 

 Its body hangs with the head downward, when it si- 

 lently waits for its prey. At other times, it balances 

 itself to jump from one tree to another like the monkies, 

 which it resembles both in having a large and flexible 

 tail, and in the conformation of ils feet. Though it 

 be voracious, and even greedy of blood, which it sucks 

 with* avidity, it feeds also upon reptiles, insects, su- 

 gar-canes, potatoes, roots, and even leaves and bark 

 of trees. It may be fed as a domestic animal. It is 

 neither wild nor ferocious. It is easily tamed, but its 

 nauseous smell is more offensive than that of the fox. 

 Its figure is also forbidding ; for independently of its 

 ears, which resemble those of an owl, of its tail, which 

 resembles that of a serpent, and of its mouth, which 

 is cleft to the very eyes, its body appears always very- 

 dirty, because its hair is neither smooth nor curled, but 



