THE OPOSSUMS 



97 



remarks that, when they commence to venture forth, 

 they "keep close to the mother, and hold on to her by 

 their tails. Sometimes, with a dozen young ones the 

 size of rats thus clinging to her legs, neck and body, and 

 some of them dragging along on the ground, she may be 

 seen going about in search of food. At this age these 

 animals are pretty; they remain with the mother till 



YOUNG OF THE VIRGINIA OPOSSUM, ONE OF A BROOD OWNED 

 BY THE WRITER, AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY HIM FROM LIFE. 



Fig. 2. Note that even at this tender age the end of the tail exhibits the 

 foreshadowing of the ability of the animal to use it as an aid in climbing 

 later on. 



about two months old, then they learn to take care of 

 themselves, but continue in the vicinity, seeming still 

 to be under maternal guardianship in a certain degree." 

 In the meantime, be it said, another litter may be pro- 

 duced sometimes even a third. These, too, grow rapid- 

 ly, and it is an interesting sight to see, later on, the pro- 

 lific parent, surrounded by several representatives of all 

 three of the broods, in her efforts to look after them 

 properly, each according to its needs. 



The opossum has a typically prehensile tail, a faculty 

 that it chiefly brings into use during its life among the 

 trees and in other places when on the ground. In climb- 

 ing, it constantly uses its tail, swinging from one small 

 limb to another, and it has the habit of suspending itself 

 by the tail when feeding upon some fruit or other grow- 

 ing below its perch. Opossums, like the racoons, are 

 very fond of grapes, and delight in regaling themselves 

 upon persimmons when these are rich and ripe in the 

 autumn, especially after the first frost. Moreover, they 

 are partial to poultry, and will rob the hen-roosts with 

 as much adroitness as a mink, or as that old adept in 



that calling the skunk. In fact, the animal is in 

 reality an all-around omnivorous mammal, and will, if 

 hard pressed, also devour fish, mollusks, and various 

 things on the bill-of-fare. It can also go for a consider- 

 able time deprived of both water and food. 



So it will be seen that, with its marvelous tenacity of 

 life, its prolific breeding, its extraordinary endurance 

 under varying conditions of temperature, and its capacity 

 to live and thrive upon anything eaten by any other 

 creature under the sun, the opossum's chance to multi- 

 ply and be a winner in the great struggle for existence 

 are indeed excellent. 



When winter comes, the opossum makes a nest for 

 itself somewhere, either in the trunk of a hollow tree or 

 in some similar situation, and passes the cold part of the 

 year in a state of semi-torpidity. This hibernation, how- 

 ever, is never as profound as the one entered upon by the 

 woodchuck, the bears, and other animals. In referring 



AN OPOSSUM AS HE APPEARS IN HIS OWN NATIVE WOODS IN 

 THE WINTER TIME 



Fig. 3. Through the courtesy of Mr. Ned Hollister, Superintendent of the 

 National Zoological Park, where the specimen here shown belongs, the 

 writer was given the opportunity to make this photograph within the 

 precincts of that reservation. 



to the footprints it leaves upon the snow, Baynes de- 

 scribes them in the following words: "Wherever the 

 opossum occurs, its presence is indicated by its curious 

 footprints on the ground, strange, uncanny footprints, 

 which rivet the attention of every man who sees them 

 for the first time, whether he is interested in natural his- 

 tory or not. They do not resemble the tracks of any 

 other of our wild creatures ; they look as though they 

 might have been made by the hands and feet of some 

 misshapen gnome or dwarf. They are most clearly seen 

 upon the snow in the early winter ; after that the animal 

 sleeps part of its time in some snug retreat." In fact, 

 the hand-like feet of the opossum will even attract the 



