88 LECTURE III. 



Sarex, or Shrew ; and lastly, 



Erinaceus, or Hedgehog. 



Of these genera the most remarkable are those 

 of Didelphis and Macropus, Opossum and Kanga- 

 roo. The Opossum tribe is characterized by hav- 

 ing small rounded front teeth, ten in the upper, 

 and eight in the lower: the canine teeth are long, 

 and the grinders are lobed or divided on their up- 

 per part. But the chief character of the genus 

 consists in a peculiar cavity or pouch in which 

 the parent places the young, immediately after 

 their birth, and in which she preserves them till 

 they are sufficiently advanced in growth to be 

 able to defend and provide for themselves. In 

 this pouch the teats are placed, which are six 

 or eight in number. The Opossums are also 

 often distinguished by the appearance of a thumb 

 on the hind-feet, and in some species the tail is of 

 that kind which Linnaeus calls prehensile, formed, 

 as in some of the Monkeys, in such a manner as 

 to be able strongly to coil round any object at 

 pleasure. 



The Opossums now constitute a pretty exten- 

 sive genus of quadrupeds, many new species hav- 

 ing been of late years discovered in Australasia or 



