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were fecurely concealed in a pouch fituated under the body of the female. 

 So wonderful an example of the preferving power of nature was moll juftly 

 admired by the philofophic world j and the different fpecies of Opoffum, 

 (for the genus is of confiderable extent,) were long regarded as the peculiar 

 and exclufive natives of the American Continent. The refearches however 

 of naturalifts in time difcovered that there exilled in other parts of the 

 globe animals of a fimilar ftrufture, and in the ifland of Java in particular, 

 an animal which belongs to this genus was difcovered by Le Brun, the 

 painter, who, tho' not himfclf a fcientinc naturalift, could not fail to be 

 ftruck by a circumftance of fo much curiofity. He has accordingly defcribed an 

 animal called the Philander, in which he obferved the young peeping out of their 

 temporary refidence in the ventral pouch of their parent. The perfevering 

 efforts of navigators accompanied by naturalifts have at length dicovered as 

 it were another new world, and other animals, not lefs furprifing than the 

 OpofTums; and which feem in many particulars to agree in ftrudlure with 

 thofe animals ; being like them furniflied with an abdominal pouch for the 

 temporary refidence of their young. Of this the two fpecies of Kanguroo 

 are remarkable examples j and even the other quadrupeds of New Holland, 

 tho' very different in the reft of their generic charaders, ftill make fome 

 approach to the genus Didelphis or Opoffum. 



The particular fpecies of Opoffum reprefented on the plate is the common 

 or large American Ipecies, or the Opoffum emphatically fo called; which 

 was the fpecies firft difcovered, and is much larger than the reft of its 

 genus. It is fcarce inferior in fize to a cat, but is of a thicker form. Its 

 colour is a pale yellowifli afti or grayilli, and its fur is ibft and thick, and 

 grows fomewhat ereft. The ears are thin, blackiffi, round, and edged 

 with a border of white. Tlie tail is very thinly coated with hair; and has 

 [ fomewhat of a fcaly appearance : it is alfo prehenfile, or poffeffed of a power 

 of coiling, like thofe of fome monkeys, round any objeft by which the ani- 

 No. I. E rriai 



