12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



June 4. I shot a black Crow; the gray one does not exist in 

 this country. In every other respect it resembles the Swedish 

 Crows in their mischievous nature. 



On the Gth, did I catch a rabbit that is a sort of a hare in 

 this country as well as in England. They are hardly larger 

 than a Coney and always brownish-gray in color both' in sum- 

 mer and in winter; any other kind of hare is not found here. 



On the 28 I saw a singular quadruped in this country called 

 Opossum, of which the female one has two pouches called 

 double-belly. In the outer pouch, that looks like a cloth bag, 

 it protects and carries its young when there is danger ahead. 

 This animal is bigger than a cat; it has a head like a pig's with 

 long and sharp teeth. The hairs are long and light gray, mixed 

 with silver color but the tail is long and bare as that of a mouse. 

 When such an animal is found in the woods it does not run 

 away, and the feet do not even permit any fast running, since 

 the hind legs are like that of a fox, for that reason and from 

 fear, it is lying down quietly, grinning and with closed eyes as 

 if it was dead, arranging the long tail in a ring like a serpent. 

 By means of a stick around which the tail proudly curls itself, 

 one can afterward carry the animal on the back anywhere one 

 may want to. In the night the Opossum has for wont to visit 

 the hen-houses, and as it can climb both in trees and up a wall 

 very well, although but slowly, it surprises the chickens quite 

 unawares wherever they may be at roost. The Opossum is an 

 animal so tenacious of life that though the hounds mangle it 

 so that the bones crackle the creature for all that promenades 

 away before next morning, a thing which I have to my great- 

 est astonishment tried myself and have let large hounds loose 

 upon it, but next day it has been found still to be in life. 



July 19. I shot a stock pigeon, blue in color, like the French 

 doves, but the breast is yellowish-brown, particularly the breast 

 of one that is she. Their tone is entirely the Swedish Stock- 

 pigeon's, the tail is long and pointed as on a magpie. In the 

 autumn these birds are found in great and numberless multitude. 



August IS. I shot two black squirrels that are more rare 

 than such of the other species in this country, else there is gen- 

 erally of those creatures a large quantity, both of gray, light 



