^PLATI>'G 'possum.' 211 



formidable-looking teeth, but they lack the power to 

 use the latter strongly. Its greatest peculiarity is its 

 pouch, and this has attracted general attention. The 

 pouch is under the belly, and in it the young are car- 

 ried before they are completely developed, and after- 

 wards they retreat to it when threatened with danger. 

 This singular pocket contains ten, twelve, or thirteen 

 teats in its interior, to which the young are attached 

 after what seems a premature birth, and to these they 

 hang for about fifty days. At the end of this period 

 they drop off, and begin to lead a more activ^e life. 



If the animal is put in a critical situation, he will 

 resort to stratagem rather than force to elude his pur- 

 suers, and if he finds escape impossible, he will feign 

 death, hoping thereby to escape the threatened danger ; 

 and even if, knowing the cunning of the animal, the 

 hunter should administer several deadlv blows, and 

 think that he had really destroyed him, he will watch 

 his opportimity, and, unexpectedly recovering his breath, 

 effect his escape. So well known is this trick that it 

 has given rise to the well-known saying, when anyone 

 is doing anything deceptive, that he is ' playing 

 'possum.' 



Take an opossum in good health, corner him up until 

 escape is impossible, then give him a gentle tap on the 

 body that would hardly crush a mosquito, and he will 

 straighten out and be, according to all indication, per- 

 fectly dead. In this situation you may thump him, 



P 2 



