188 THE VIRGIXTAX 0P0SSU:M. 



The female opossum builds a warm nest of dry leaves and 

 moss, sometimes in the hollow of a rotten tree, or beneath its 

 wide-spreading roots. She has been known occasionally to 

 take possession of a squirrel's nest ; and at other times, that 

 of the Florida rat. When her young— generally thirteen to 

 fifteen appearing at a time — are born, they are extremely 

 small — not an inch in length, including the tail— and weigh- 

 ing only four grains. After a couple of weeks or so, she places 

 them in her pouch, when they grow in size and strength, 

 and in about four weeks may be seen with their heads 

 poked out surveying the world, into which they begin to 

 wander at the end of five or six weeks. When first born, 

 they are the most helpless of little creatures, being both deaf 

 and blind. 



The larger number of opossums, however, are to be found 

 in South America, where we shall have an opportunity of 

 further examinino; them. 



