THE TROPICAL FOREST ' 113 



parachute. It is stated to show marvellous agihty in 

 leaping from branch to branch, and is doubtless aided 

 by its feather-like tail. 



Another member of the phalanger family, the koala 

 or native bear {Phascolarctos cinereus) is very different 

 from its alhes in appearance, and shows some curious 

 adaptations. It is sluggish in its movements, and, as 

 often happens in such cases, the tail has disappeared 

 (cf. bear, sloth, &c.). In the hand two of the fingers 

 can be opposed to the other three, the condition which 

 occurs in the chameleon. On the foot, as in other 

 phalangers, there are five toes, the great toe being 

 opposable to the others. The animal feeds chiefly 

 upon leaves, but is also stated to descend to the ground 

 in order to dig for roots. Curiously enough, it possesses 

 cheek pouches like an Old World monkey. 



The last of the marsupials to be considered are the 

 opossums of South America, small insect-eating animals 

 with opposable great toes and prehensile tails, which, 

 though chiefly South American, are represented in the 

 United States by the widely distributed common 

 opossum {Didelphys marsupialis). They must be added 

 to the very considerable Kst of peculiar arboreal mam- 

 mals possessed by South America, for they do not occur 

 outside of the American continent. The majority 

 spend their hves in trees, though some spread to the 

 pampas of Argentine, and they take the place in nature 

 elsewhere occupied by insectivores, which are absent 

 from the South Americein continent (see Pig. 31). 



Birds are so abundant in the tropical forests that we 

 can only pick out for special remark a few which illus- 

 trate points of interest. In spite of the gloom of the 

 jungle brilliantly coloured forms are common, a fact 

 well illustrated by the gorgeous birds of paradise, the 



1404 H 



