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The construction of the hind foot, with the soft yielding tuber- 

 cles on the palms, and its long nailless opposing thumb, enable 

 It to use these feet as hands, and the prehensile tail aids It 

 in holding on to the branches of trees, whilst its body Is 

 swinging in the air; in this manner we have observed it gath- 

 ering persimmons with its mouth and fore paws, and devouring 

 them while its head was downward, and its body suspended 

 in the air, holding on sometimes with its hind feet and tail, 

 but often by the tail alone," — Audubon and Bachman. 



A PROLIFIC AND RAPID BREEDER. 



.Many curious afid mislukeii ideas are entertained 

 about the breeding of this marsupial. I secured an 

 Opossum in Chester county, Pa., early in the month 

 of March with a foetus in utero. Observations which 

 have been made show that the young remain in the 

 uterus from fifteen to seventeen d'ays — they have no 

 placenta or after birth — and when born they are 

 assisted by the mother into her pouch where at once 

 they attach themselves to the teats from which they 

 receive nourishment and grow rapidly. The Opossum 

 is exceedingly prolific, producing two or three litters 

 annually. The female when one year old, It is stated, 

 begins to raise a family. 



AN OMNIVOROUS ANIMAL. 



The Opcssum is a voracious feeder and where abun 

 dant often causes the farmer and poultry raiser much 

 annoyance. Like the Raccoon, he loves green com. 

 He is fond of chestnuts, and other kinds of mast are 

 consumed by him. He sometimes kills and eats rats, 

 likewise mice, and insects, and he feeds quite exten- 

 sively, hunters and trappers say, on birds and their 

 eggs; he will eat young Rabbits and he feasts 

 on different fruits and berries. Ground-nesting 

 birds such as the Quail. Pheasant and other 



