352 



CASSELL'S POPULAR NATURAL HISTORY. 



from which the colour of the animal is principally derived. On the head, neck, and under parts of the 

 body, the hair is short and close ; a brownish circle surrounds each eye ; and the legs are of a deep 

 chestnut-brown. The whiskers are long, partly white, and partly reddish ; the extremity of the nose is 

 flesh-coloured, with a tinge of yellow ; and the ears are generally black at the base, and yellowish at 

 the tip. The tail is considerably shorter than the body ; its base is covered by long hairs ; but the 

 greater part of its length is only scantily supplied with short bristles, which emerge from between the 

 small whitish scales by which it is protected. 



This is the only species, with the exception of the Mexican Cayopollin, that inhabits North 

 America. It is extremely abundant in the north of Mexico, and through nearly the whole of the 

 United States. In its native state, it has all the characteristics of the group to which it belongs. It 

 lives in trees, feeds on birds, insects, and fruit, and sometimes carries its attacks into the neighbouring 

 farm-yards. In captivity it is listless, indolent, and careless of the objects by which it is surrounded ; 



COOKS OPOSSUM. 



but it evinces no disposition towards familiarity, and is snappish it disturbed. We give also an illus- 

 tration of Cook's opossum, with its tail curled round the trunk of a tree. 



Another genus* has the head rather short; the ears hairy; the fur woolly and short; the tail 

 long, prehensile, and sometimes without hair on its extremity. 



THE VULPINE OPOSSUM.f 



Tms animal is not unlike the common fox in shape, but inferior to it in size. The upper parts of the 

 body are of a grizzly colour, arising from a mixture of dusky and white hair, with rufous-yellow tinge, 

 the head and shoulders partaking most of the last colour. 



In the next genusj the head is rather short ; the ears small and hairy ; the skin of the flanks 

 extended between the anterior and posterior limlw, jind covered with hair. The tail is not strictly 

 prehensile. The number of teeth is thirty-eight, 



* Phalongista: Cuvier. t !' Vulpina. i Petaurus: Shaw. 



