A MOUSE-LIKE OPOSSUM 195 
the trouble is over, again tucks its head under its body, out 
of sight, and sleeps on. 
Tue Murine Orossum'—a name which means Mouse- 
like Opossum—is a South American species which is remark- 
able because of its diminutive size. The full-grown female 
specimen shown in the accompanying illustration, with a 
brood of seven hairless young clinging to the fur of her body, 
was about the size of an Eastern chipmunk. The abdominal 
pouch is wholly wanting in this species, and from birth the 
naked and almost helpless young must either cling to the fur 
of the mother or die. As they grow larger, they travel on 
the back of the mother, with their tendril-like tails clinging 
to her tail. 
The specimen shown reached New York just as a score of 
others have before it,—hidden in the interior of a bunch of 
bananas! 
1 Mar-mo'sa murina. 
