1 8 The Opossum 



The hunting of the opossum in the North is more 

 frequently done in the daytime. The hunt is usually 

 confined to the edge of a forest or large timber along 

 streams and the more numerous the hollow trees the 

 better. I remember a hunt of this kind: I had been 

 tramping about with my camera, and as I was passing 

 through some large timber near a clearing on the 

 Orange Mountains, I came upon an old colored man 

 and a boy, who were carefully examining the trunk 

 of a tree. I asked them what they were hunting for. 



'"Possum," was the short answer. 



When the colored man, who, as I afterward learned, 

 was familiarly known as "Uncle Robert," found that I 

 was out after animal photographs, he granted me 

 the privilege of joining the party. 



Uncle Robert's method of hunting the opossum 

 was very simple; he knew of several hollow trees 

 and from time to time visited them, occasionally 

 finding an opossum. He was not very talkative at 

 first, but gradually warmed up to the subject of opos- 

 sum hunting, and told me that when he was a boy 

 and lived in "Old Virginny, we all used to hunt de 

 'possum and de 'coon, for dey bofe is mighty good to 

 eat." 



While talking we were gradually making our way 

 through the timber, and when we came to the edge 



