34 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



five inches, and the tail a little more than an inch. Its 

 ears are of moderate size, naked, and of a rounded form. 

 The tail is very short in comparison of the other species of 

 this genus ; hairy at the base, and naked and scaly for the 

 rest of its extent. Upper part of the body, back of the 

 head, and hairs on the basis of the tail, blackish. Cheeks, 

 shoulders, flanks, throat, external side of the thighs and 

 paws of a lively red. The breast and under part of the 

 body of a pure white. 



M. D'Azara, during his stay at Paris, recognised in the 

 individuals of this species which form part of the collection 

 of the Museum of Natural History, his own fifth Micoure, 

 or that with a short tail, which agreed exactly with the 

 animal now described ; except that the belly instead of 

 being quite white, was of a whitish yellow. , The female of 

 this animal, according to the same naturalist, has fourteen 

 teats between the folds of skin of the groins, which dis- 

 appear when she ceases to suckle. The male, when irri- 

 tated, emits an unpleasant odour. The animals of this 

 species live in holes underground. 



The Touan is found at Cayenne in the woods. The 

 young are attached to the nipples, as among the other 

 Didelphes. The short-tailed Micoure is a native of 

 Paraguay. 



There are other species of Didelphes enumerated by 

 naturalists, which will be found in the table. 



The genus or sub-genus Chironectes was established 

 by Illiger on one species, which naturalists have placed 

 sometimes among the Otters, and sometimes among the 

 Didelphes. It is thus characterized : upper incisors, 

 ten ; lower, eight. Canines tolerably long. Pointed muz- 

 zle ; eyes placed on the sides of the head ; ears naked and 

 rounded ; tail prehensile and scaly ; marsupial bones ; 

 plantigrade and ptntadactylous feet : the hinder ones alone 



