THE LIFE OF MAMMALS 
famous opossum rugs are made; and so numerous and pro- 
lific are these animals, in spite of the fact that three millions 
or more of their hides are consumed annually (2,500,000 in 
London alone, during 1905), these phalangers are still in 
thriving abundance. The common “opossum” is about the 
bigness of a cat, and lives mainly in peppermint gums, whose 
aromatic leaves are its favorite food, and so taint its flesh that 
nobody but a blackfellow cares to eat it; but some of the 
smaller “‘ring-tailed’’ phalangers are said to be excellent on 
THE COMMON “ ObossuM," OR VULPINE PHALANGER, OF AUSTRALIA. 
the table. Wheelwright™ gives a very full account of the ani- 
mal, and tells us that when one is shot it. will often hang by 
the grip of its prehensile tail long after life has departed. 
Protective laws have recently restricted the killing of them. 
It was to be expected that among creatures of these squir- 
rel-like ways some would grow to have a squirrel-like form. 
This has happened, and they have added to the 
Phalan- large balancing and scizing tail the faculty of flight, 
; as has been intimated. Thus we have flying- 
phalangers. One is the dark green taguan or “tooan” of 
Queensland and Victoria, about 17 inches long, with a 
tail measuring 20 inches, noted for its piercing scream 
when alarmed or in flight. Another well known is the yel- 
low-hellied, of which Bennett wrote so particularly in his 
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