THE OPOSSUM 



57 



food consists of insects and vegetable substances, and it 

 forms a nest of leaves and grass. Its feet, however, 

 constitute its main peculiarity. Every one knows 

 that beasts differ somewhat as to the number of their 

 toes — five to each foot being the maximum. In 

 tlie horse, ass, and zebra alone are these reduced to a 



Fig. 15. 



THE MVRMECOBIUS. 



single toe for each foot — those, namely, which answer to 

 our middle finger and our own middle toe respectively. 

 In sheep, oxen, deer, &c., each foot rests upon two toes 

 only, but the cha?ropus walks upon six toes. Each of its 

 fore-limbs is supported on two toes, while each of its 

 hind-limbs, like each of the hind-limbs of the horse, rests 

 upon one only. This single toe, however, is not the one 

 the horse uses, but corresponds to our fourth toe, and 



