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THE VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Two canine teeth in eacli jaw. 



Cutting teeth unequal in number in each jaw. 



Five toes on each foot : hind feet formed like a hand, with a diftind thumb. 



Tail very long, (lender, and ufually naked. 



Pennant, 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &c. 



Ycllowifh-grey Opoffum, with blackifh rounded ears edged with white. 

 Virginian Opofllim. Pennant, ^adr. p. 301. 



Opoffum. Phil. Tranf. abridged, 2. 884. /. 13. 



TH E difcovery of the weftern world, while it aftoniflied mankind by 

 its vaft extent of territory, and a new face of nature in the earth 

 itfelf, was not lefs produflive of wonder to naturalifts in the numerous and 

 curious fpecies of animals then firlt introduced to the knowledge of the 

 European philofophers. Amongfl thefe ftriking examples of fingular ftruc- 

 ture die Opoffum formed one of the principal objedls : an animal in which 

 nature appeared to have exerted a new and unheard-of contrivance for the 

 protection of the young ; which, inftead of being expofed during their 

 ftate of helplefs infancy to the cafuakies to which other creatures arc liable, 



were 



