The Opossums 
In the meantime she is obliged to forage the woods for food 
and protect herself and her family as best she may. 
At first thought one might very naturally infer that she 
would be at a decided disadvantage in being so very literally 
burdened with a family, yet on the whole she carries them but 
little longer than most other creatures of her size, the chief 
difference being that she has them where she can do pretty 
much as she pleases with them, and in case of injury is much 
less liable to incur serious results. 
Through the day she sleeps hidden in a hollow tree or 
stump, or dozes half in sunshine and half in shade among the 
branches. 
But as daylight fades and the shadows creep through the 
undergrowth she goes forth to see what the night has to offer 
her, shuffling along among the dew wet leaves, pouncing on a 
lizard here or a blundering dorbug that has chanced to upset 
itself in midflight, or else she follows up the shrill throbbing of 
a cricket and digs him out from his hiding place. If luck happens 
to be with her she may discover a nest full of eggs or young 
birds or mice, it is all one to her. 
She can also climb to the top of the tallest tree in the 
woods using her tail and hand-shaped feet almost like a monkey, 
even hanging head down by her tail and one hind foot if nec- 
essary from a branch just over a bird’s nest in order to reach 
whatever it contains. Her prehensil: tail moreover often proves 
useful in supporting her while she gathers grapes and persimmons 
and other wild fruits of the forest, and it is said that the young 
ones when they first come out to see what the world is like, 
have a way of taking a couple of turns of their own tails about 
that of their parent and so anchored ride safely on her back. 
It would seem that these youngsters are not in the habit of 
occupying the pouch as long as do the young kangaroos, which 
it is said, remain there for a space of something like eight 
months, growing in that time from diminutive beings less than 
an inch long to fairly well-formed kangaroos of ten pounds 
weight which thrust out their necks when their parent is graz- 
ing and crop the grass beneath them. Even after they have 
learned to go alone they often climb back into the pouch again 
to ride whenever they are tired out. 
Opossums are anything but attractive or intelligent beasts. 
