344 FAMILY DIDELPHIOE ; OPOSSUMS. 



entirely wanting, being indicated only by a slight fold of skin. 

 The Virginian Opossum, which is common in many parts of 

 the southern states of North America, is one of the largest and 

 most robust of the genus, being about the size of a Cat. It 

 resides in branches and hollows of trees, remaining inert during 

 the day, but prowling at night in search of its food, which 

 consists of insects, eggs, birds, and small reptiles and mammalia, 

 as also of fruits and roots; sometimes even invading the precincts 

 of farm-houses, destroying poultry, and other domestic birds. Its 

 movements on the ground are slow ; but it climbs with great 

 facility, and can suspend itself from branches with its tail, some- 

 times gaining distant branches by a kind of swinging motion. 

 When alarmed or irritated, it emits a most disgusting odour. In 

 captivity it is slothful, and becomes inordinately fat, eating both 

 animal and vegetable food with voracity; it shows but little 

 intelligence, and evinces great apathy with some timidity. The 

 female produces several young at a time, sometimes as many as 

 sixteen ; and she conceals herself in a thick nest of dry grass, in 

 some obscure retreat. When first born, the young are in a very 

 undeveloped state, being minute, blind, naked, and shapeless ; 

 but they are always found adhering to the teats of the mother, 

 protected by her pouch. There they remain until they have 

 attained the size of a mouse, which is not until the fiftieth day ; 

 at this period their eyes are opened, and their bodies are covered 

 with hair. They now venture occasionally from their hiding- 

 place, but return to it on the least appearance of danger ; and it 

 is not until they have attained to a considerable size, that they 

 finally withdraw from the care of the parent. Even when they 

 no longer resort to her pouch for protection, it is said that they 

 jump on her back, and twine their tails securely with hers ; so 

 that she may carry them off from the threatened danger. The 

 Crab-eating Opossum is common in Guiana and Brazil ; it climbs 

 trees with facility, but runs badly ; and prefers marshy situations, 

 where it feeds upon crabs, but also attacks small birds and 

 reptiles, and will eat insects. Several of the South American 

 species are very small, and are quite insectivorous in their habits ; 

 so much resembling the Shrews in size and general appearance, as 



