OF THE UNITED STATES 



371 



near the nipples, which they find and grasp by instinct. Their 

 growth is very rapid; at a week old they weigh thirty grains. 

 They remain in the pouch, attached to the nipple, till they are 

 able to move about. At the age of four weeks they occasionally 

 leave the nipple, and may be seen peeping out of their sack; a 

 week afterward they venture forth, but keep close to the mother, 

 and hold on to her by their tails. Sometimes, with a dozen 

 young ones of the size of rats thus clinging around her legs, 

 neck, and body, and some of them dragging along on the ground, 



FIG. 92. YOUNG OF AMERICAN OPOSSUM (D. virginiana). 



Natural size; about two months old; right lateral view of the same specimen shown in Fig. 88. Photo- 

 graph from life by the Author. 



she may be seen going about in search of food. At this age these 

 animals are pretty. They remain with the mother till about two 

 months old; they then learn to take care of themselves, but con- 

 tinue in the vicinity, seeming still to be under maternal guard- 

 ianship in a certain degree. Meantime another brood is pro- 

 duced, and during the season a third, and some of all these may 

 be seen at once with their prolific parent." 



Some of the Australian marsupials have been called there 

 " opossums " by the settlers, but, as has already been stated, there 

 are no true opossums in Australia. That great continent, how- 

 ever, is the headquarters for the order, and many of the remark- 



