VIRGINIA OPOSSUM 



Didelphis virginiana. 



Adult specimens of this peculiar animal vary considerably in 

 size, measuring in length from twenty-six to thirty-six inches in- 

 cluding the tail, which is about three-quarters the length of the body. 

 The color is grayish white, with the legs and feet more brown than 

 gray. 



They usually nest in a hollow of some decayed tree, or in a 

 hole dug under the roots of a tree or stone, which they line with 

 leaves and moss, and in which their young are born, from six to ten 

 in number, and at that time are less than one inch in length. 



For two or three weeks the young are blind and remain quiet. 

 They do not remain in the nest as do most other animals, but are 

 placed by the mother in a sac or pouch, where they remain and nurse 



223 



