NATURAL HISTORY. &3S 



tarnished, as if covered with dirt. The bad smell o 

 this animal resides in the skin, for its flesh is palata- 

 ble. The savages hunt this animal, and feast on its 

 flesh with avidity. 



THE MARMOSE, OR MURIXE OPOSSUM. 



THE marmose, or murine opossum, resembles in most 

 respects the latter species. They are natives of the 

 same climate, in the same continent, and are very much 

 alike by the form of the body, the conformation of the 

 feet, and the' tail, apart of which is covered with scales, 

 the upper part only being hairy. But the marmose is 

 smaller than the common opossum, his snout is still 

 sharper ; the female has no bag under the belly, she 

 has only two loose skins near the thighs, between which 

 the young stick to the paps. When the young are 

 brought forth, they are not so large as small beans. 

 The brood of the marmose is very numerous ; we 

 have seen ten small marraoses, each sticking to a pap, 

 and the dam had still four paps unoccupied. I am per- 

 suaded that these animals bring foith a flw clays after 

 the conception : the young are then foetus only, which 

 are not come to the fourth pait of the growth ; the dam 

 always miscarries, anJ the fojtus save their lives in 

 sticking to fW yaps, without leaving them till they 



