THE OPOSSUM MOUSE. 137 



danger, and, if any necessity for flight should present itself, flies from 

 the dangerous locality, carrying her young with her. 



At the head of the Macropidse are placed a small but interesting 

 band of marsupial animals, which are called Phalangistines, on account 

 of the curious manner in which two of the toes belonging to the hinder 

 feet are joined together as far as the " phalanges." The feet are all 

 formed with great powers of grasp, and their structure is intended to 

 fit them for procuring their food among the branches of the trees, on 

 which they pass the greater portion of their existence. 



First and least of the Phalangistines, is the beautiful little animal 

 which is called the Opossum Mouse in some parts of the country, and 

 the Flying Mouse in others. 



This pretty little creature is about the size of our common mouse, 

 and when it is resting upon a branch, with its parachute, or umbrella 

 of skin, drawn close to the body by its own elasticity, it looks very like 

 the common mouse of Europe, and at a little distance might easily be 

 taken for that animal. In total length it rather exceeds six inches, 

 the length of its head and body being about three inches and a half, 

 and that of the tail not quite three inches. On account of its minute 

 size this animal is also called the Pigmy Petaurist. 



In the color of the upper portions of the body the Opossum Mouse 

 is of the well-known mouse tint, slightly sprinkled with a reddish hue; 

 but on the abdomen and under portions of the skin parachute, the fur 

 is beautifully white. The line of demarcation between the hair is very 

 well defined, and there is a narrow stripe of darker brown that marks 

 out the line of juncture. When the animal is at rest, the parachute 

 closes by its own elasticity, and gathers itself into folds, which have a 

 very pretty effect, on account of the delicate white fur which becomes 

 exposed by the action, and which undulates in rich and graceful folds, 

 alternating with the dark fur of the back and the still darker stripe 

 that forms the line of demarcation. 



The tail of the Opossum Mouse is nearly as long as the body, very 

 slender, and remarkable for the manner in which the hairs are affixed 

 to it. The hairs that fringe the greater part of the tail are about one- 

 sixth of an inch in length, reddish gray in color, rather stiff*, and are set 

 on the tail in a double row, like the barks of a feather. A similar 

 formation has already been described in the history of the pen-tail of 

 Sarawak. This mode of arrangement is called " distichous." 



The food of the Petaurists is generally of a vegetable character, 

 consisting of leaves, fruits, and buds, but the sharply-pointed molars 

 of the Opossum Mouse approach so closely to the insectivorous type 

 that the creature is probably able to vary a vegetable diet by occasional 

 admixture with animal food. 



The parachute-like expansion of the skin is of very great service to 

 12* 



