CAPTURE OF THE OPOSSUM. 25) 
sun, being apparently dozing, and seeming to 
enjoy this position as a change. Its usual 
posture, however, when asleep, is either lying at 
full length on the side, or sitting doubled up with 
its head under its fore-legs, and its nose touching 
the stomach, in the manner of the raccoon. 
The opossum cannot be called a gregarious 
animal. During summer, a brood composing a 
large family may be found together, but when 
the young are well grown, they usually separate, 
and each individual shifts for himself; we have 
seldom found two together in the same retreat in 
autumn or winter. ; 
Although not often seen abroad in very cold 
weather in winter, this animal is far from falling . 
into that state of torpidity to which the marmots, 
jumping mice, and several other species of quad- 
rupeds are subject. In the southern States, 
there are not many clear nights of starlight or 
moonshine in which they may not be found 
roaming about; and although in their farthest - 
northern range they are seldom seen when the 
ground is covered with snow, yet we recollect 
having come upon the track of one in snow a 
foot deep, in the month of March, in Pennsyl- 
vania; we pursued it, and captured the opossum 
in its retreat—a hollow tree. It may be re- 
marked, that animals like the opossum, raccoon, 
skunk, etc., that become very fat in autumn re 
