3 oo 



BACKBONED ANIMALS. 



with a long, prehensile tail. The hair is white, tipped 

 with brown. They live in the trees, eating fruit, eggs, and 

 even small animals. When attacked, they feign death, 

 thus often escaping. The young (Fig. 324) are placed in 

 the pouch when extremely small, and nourished as other 

 marsupials, and when older are frequently seen clinging 

 to the mother, their tails curled about hers. The Yapock 

 is a water-opossum from South America. The feet are 

 webbed ; the tail is prehensile and scaly. They feed 

 partly upon aquatic animals. 



VALUE. ri .the United States about two hundred and fifty thou- 

 sand skins are used yearly. . The hair is used in felting, hats, etc. 



FIG. 325. Chseropus. 



Native Cats (Dasyurida). These are carnivorous 

 and insectivorous marsupials, ranging in size from a rat to 

 a wolf. The Tasmanian wolf (Fig. 328) is the largest form. 

 The marsupial bones are cartilaginous ; the pouch absent 



