ORDER XI. TIIK MAKSUPIALIA. 337 



mill aJl fliuir parts arc tlevclopcJ, wliioh takes place in about five days, they 

 then leave tlio pouch, but return to suckle, or to seek shelter in time of 

 danger. During this time the female shows an excessive attachment to her 

 younii', and will sutler any tortiu'e rather than permit tiio pouch to be 

 opened ; for she has the power of opening or closing it, by the means of 

 certain muscles. The flesh of the old animals is very good, its flavor resem- 

 bling that of a sucking pig; the hair is dyed by the Indian women, and 

 woven into garters and girdles. The skin is very fetid." 



We have frequently seen the opossum served up t)n the tables of the 

 Ivichmond hotels ; but although the flesh seemed sweet and savory, we could 

 not overcome our prejudice enough to taste it. 



I). ^V::((ri-V. — Azara's Opossum. "This species may at once bo dis- 

 tinguished from the D. Yli'glnktnn by the broad black stri[)e on the fore- 

 head, the comparatively great extent of the black mark which runs through 

 the eye, and the coloring of the cars, which, instead of being black, and 

 narrowly edged with white at the apex, as in the Virginian opossum, arc 

 white, and clouded with black at the base. The general coloring of the 

 present animal is moreover much darker, and the under parts of the bcidy 

 arc, for the mo.*t part, of a brown color. M. Tcnnninck also mentions the 

 superior length of the tail as a distinguishing character, but this appears to 

 vary considerably in different indi\iduals.'' 



This opossum is common in Brazil, and is found as far south as Molda- 

 nado. La Plata. Azara states that it lives in thickets, and also in open parts 

 of the country. During the day it remains in holes, but at night comes 

 forth, and is very destructive to poultry, eating the eggs, and sucking the 

 blood of the birds which it catches. It climbs trees, eats fruit, and feeds 

 also upon insects and reptiles. 



D. C'Uicricont. — • Crab-eating Opossum. "This species is nearly equal 

 in size to the I). Yirgiiddiui., and may be distinguished from that species 

 and the D. Azariv by its deeper coloring, the long interspersed hairs on 

 the upper [)arts of the body being black, or dark In'own, instead of white. 

 Its head is apparently longer and more attenuated, and the ears arc ot a 

 imiform color. 



"The crab-eating opossum is common in Guiana and Ilrazil. It climbs 

 trees with facility, but runs badly ; prefers marshy situations, where it feeds 

 upon crabs, whence its name. It also attacks small birds and reptiles, and 

 will eat insects. Its flesh is eaten by the natives, and is said somewhat to 

 resemble that of the hare." 



D. Califovniai. — The California opossum has a brown head, but the 

 long, interspersed hairs on the upper parts of the body are totally white. 

 The head is long, and the muzzle very narrow. 

 KO. ix. 43 



