194 MAMMALIA, FERiE. Opofllim. 



rem ears ; very large whifkers; the face of a dirty white, with a dark line down the middle ; the 

 hair on the head, and upper part of the body, afh coloured at the roots, and deep tawny at the tips-, 

 the egs and feet dufky, with white claws ; the belly of a dull cinereous colour ; the tail long and. 

 thi • ih, varied with brown and yellow, hairy for the firft inch, and the reft naked. It lives in trees, 

 in v hich it brings forth its young ; tliefe cling clofely to the parent when frightened. Neither Mr 

 Pennant nor the Count de Euffon fay whether this fpecies has or wants the purfe on the belly. 



388 7. Murine Qpoffuin. — 5. Didelphis miirina. 4. 



Jnftead of a falfe belly, the female has a fold on each fide, including the teats. 

 Penn. hift. of quad. n. 185. 



Moufe-like OpofTum, or Didelphis murina, having fix teats, and the tail hairy at the bafe. Syft. 

 nat. ed. Gmelin, i. 107. n. 4. Amoen. ac. i. 279. Muf. ad. Fr. ii. 8. Schreber, iii. 545. t. cxlix. — 

 American Philander, having the back of a dark chefnut colour, and the belly of a pale yellow. 

 Brifr. quad. 211. — Philander, having the teats on the abdomen not included in a purfe; with a, 

 very long, round, naked tail, and a long lhaped body. Gronov. zooph. i. 9. n. 33. — Scalopes. Seb. 

 Muf. i. 48. t. 31. f. 1. 2. -Marmofe, or Murine OpofTum. Sm. Buff. v. 435. pi. cxl, cxli. Penn. 

 hift. of quad. n. 185. 



Inhabits the hotter parts of America The length of the head and body is fix inches and a half, 



and the tail is about the fame; the muzzle has fix rows of rufty brown whifkers, except the loweft 

 row which is white, all fhorter than the head ; the back is arched, and it and the top of the head 

 are of a tawny colour ; the belly is yellowifh white ; the ears are long, broad, naked, thin, and 

 rounded at the ends ; the feet have each five toes, with diftinct thumbs, all furnifhed with very 

 fharp claws : The female has fourteen teats, according to the Count de BufFon from infpection, to 

 which the young, fometimes ten at a birth, attach themfelves immediately when brought forth; thefe. 

 are at firft not bigger than fmall beans, and never quit their hold till they have acquired confiderable 

 fke and ftrength. This fpecies burrows in the ground, climbs trees, fixes itfelf to the branches by 

 the affiftance of its prehenfile tail, and darts on birds and fmall animals ; it likewife eats fruits, grain, 

 and roots, but prefers fifh and crabs. It is very flow, and ftupid in all its actions. 



~3q 8. Guiana OpofTum. — Didelphis guianenfis. 



Of a brown colour on the upper parts, and white beneath. Penn. hift. of quad. p. 308". 



Inhabits Guiana.— This animal is barely mentioned by Mr Pennant as a variety of the preceding s 

 with which, therefore, we rnuft prefume that it agrees in appearance. 



390 9- Surinam OpofTum. — 6. Didelphis dorfigera. $. 



Has fhort blunt nails on all the thumbs, and on the fingers of the fore paws ; thofe on 

 the hind toes are fmall and fharp pointed. 



Didelphis dorfigera, having the tail hairy at its bafe, and longer than the body; the fingers of the 

 fore paws being unarmed. Syft. nat. ed. Gmel. p. 107. n. 5. Schreber, iii. 546. t. cl. — Glis fylvef- 



trisi. 



