ORDER XI. THE MARSUriALIA. 339 



parts of South America; burrows in the grounil, and chnibs trees, to the 

 houghs of whicli it suspends itself by tlie taiL It feeds upon small birds 

 and insects, and also fruits. The female has no pouch. 



D. Elerjuns. — The Elegant Opossum. This species is four inches in 

 length. The general tint of the upper parts of the body and head are ashy- 

 gray washed with brown, the lower parts have a yellowish tint. These 

 animals frerpient thickets growing on the rocky hills of Valparaiso. They 

 are exceedingly numerous, and, according to Mr. Darwin, are easily caught 

 in traps, baited either with cheese or meat. The tail does not appear to be 

 used as a prehensile organ. They are able to run up trees with some de- 

 gree of facility. 



D. Trtdrlata. — The striped opossum is a little larger than the com- 

 mon mouse, and was mistaken for a shrew b}' some of the earlier authors. 

 It feeds upon insects, and lives in burrows constructed I)y itself. 



D. tricolor, the tricolored opossum, D. hrachtjnru, the short-tailed opos- 

 sum, and D. pusilla, are also small insectivorous animals, inhabiting Para- 

 guay, Surinam, and (juiana. They are destitute of the j^ouch. 



D. JTuhuata. ■ — ^The Yajjock Opossum. This animal differs so widely 

 from the true opossums, that some authors have separated it entirely from 

 them. It is about twenty-four inches in length, including the tail, and of a 

 somewhat robust form ; its whole structure giving unmistakable proofs of 

 partially amphibious habits. The hind feet are long, and tied together by 

 an ani|)le membrane. These animals are found in all the smaller streams 

 of Brazil, and appear to extend as far northward as the shores of the Gulf 

 of Honduras. They feed upon Crustacea. 



Genus Dasyurus. — The animals of this group are excessively carnivo- 

 rous ; the head and feet in all the species resemble more or less those of the 

 dog. The structure of their teeth is very nearly the same as in the opos- 

 sums. They dilfer, however, in having only eight incisors in the upper jaw, 

 and six in the lower. They form an exception to the other Marsupialia, in 

 having no ciecum. In external characters, the most striking dilfereuce con- 

 sists in the tail being well clothed with hair, and in not being prehensile. 

 These animals do not li^•e upon trees, like most of the opossums, but hide 

 themselves in holes or in cre^■ices of rocks during the day, and at night prowl 

 about like weasels in search of their prey. They are extremely voracious, 

 and very destructive to the poultry and stock of the colonists of Van Die- 

 men's Land and Australia. The generic name, Dnsi/uriis, signifies "hairy- 

 tailed," and refers to the abundant supply of litiir with which the tails of the 

 species are fiuMiished. 



D. C'tjnocepludus. — • This animal is nearly the size of a wolf; has a head 

 like that of a dog ; the tail is slender, and about half the length of the 



