i>9 2 MAMMALIA. FERi£. Opoffum. 



Inhabits South America. — The body and head are about nine inches in length, and the tall (four- 

 teen ; the muzzle has fix rows of whifkers ; the orbits are furrounded with a brownilh circle ; the 

 legs are whitilh ; and the naked part of the tail is whitiih, with brown fpots. 



3^4 3. Sarigue. — 3. Didelphis Opoffum. 3. 



The tail is hairy near the bafe ; over each eye is an oblong white fpot. Schrcber, iii. 

 537. t. cxlvi. A. B. 



Philander fpadiceus, of a dark chefimt colour on the back, the belly yellow, and having a yel- 

 lowifh fpot over each eye. BrifT. quad. 207. Seba, Muf. i. 56. 57. t. 36. f. 1. 2. 3. — Vulpes major 

 putoria, Larger ftinking Fox, or Acuary, having a round naked tail. Barrere, Fr. equin. 166. — 

 Semivulpa. Gefn. quad. 870. Aldrov. dig. 223— Tlaquatzin. Hernand. Mex. 330.— Tai-ibi, of 

 the Brafilians. Marcgr. Braf. 223. — Carigueia. Marcgr. Braf. 222. Pif. Braf. 323. Tyfon, Phil. 

 Tranf. n. 239. p. 105. Cowper, Phil. Tranf. n. 290. p. 1565. — Opoffum. Catefby, Carol. 120. — 



Sarigue, or Virginian OpofTum. Sm. Buff. v. 404. pi. clviii. clix Mollucca Opoffum. Penn. hiftv 



.of quad. n. 182. 



Inhabits the warm and temperate parts of America. — Has long, oval, naked ears ; a wide mouth; 

 an oblong white fpot over each £ye ; the lower fide of the upper jaw, the throat, and belly, are of a 

 whitifh afh colour ; the hair on the reft of the body is of a wliitifh afh colour, tipt with tawny, and 

 darkeft on the back ; the tail is as long as the body, and naked, except near the bafe, where it is co- 

 vered with hair ; the claws are hooked ; there are ten fore-teeth in the upper, and eight in 'the lower 

 jaw : The head and body are about ten inches long. 



385 4. Molucca Opoffum. — 3. /3. Didelphis molucca. 3. $. 



The back is of a dark brown colour, the belly yellowifh, and there is a yellow fpot 

 over each eye. BrhT. quad. 209. 



Inhabits Ceylon, the Philippine and Molucca ifiands. — In Dr Gmelin's edition of the Syftema 

 Naturae, this is made a variety of the preceding fpecies; but the remarkable difference of country for- 

 bids that idea : There is a confiderable confufion among naturalifts, reflecting the various fpecies of 

 this genus, to remedy which every exertion has been made, but not with entire fuccefs; the following 

 defcriptive account from the Syftema Naturae is there meant as referring to both this and the prece- 

 ding article. 



By means of the tail, which is prehenfile, thefe .animals climb trees, and fpring from tree to tree 

 with great facility; but, in other refpects, they are very flow of foot; they may be tamed; the female 

 brings four or five young ones at a birth, which fhe keeps with great care in her pouch, or falfe bel- 

 ly ; the voice refembles the grunting of a hog ; the length of the head and body is about a foot ; the 

 head is longer and fharper than in the Brafilian Opoffum, but fhorter than that of the Amboina fpe- 

 cies ; the ears are fliort and rounded ; the female has five or feven teats ; the tail is fhorter than fhe 

 body, and is hairy at the bafe, the naked part being whitifh. 



