OPOSSUMS 



309 



ous man than the majority of his countrymen who emi- 

 grate to Brazil now-a-days, for there were signs of former 

 extensive cultivation at the back of the house in groves 

 of orange, lemon, and coffee trees, and a large plantation 

 of cacao occupied the lower grounds. 



The next morning one of the brothers brought me a 

 beautiful opossum which had been caught in the fowl- 

 house a little before sunrise. It was not so large as a 

 rat, and had soft brown fur, paler beneath and on the 

 face, with a black stripe on each cheek. This made the 

 third species of marsupial rat I had so far obtained : but 

 the number of these animals is very considerable in Brazil, 

 where they take the place of the shrews of Europe ; shrew 

 mice and, indeed, the whole of the insectivorous order of 

 mammals, being entirely absent from Tropical America. 

 One kind of these rat-like opossums is aquatic, and has 

 webbed feet. The terrestrial species are nocturnal in 

 their habits, sleeping ' during the day in hollow trees, 

 and coming forth at night to prey on birds in their roosting 

 places. It is very difficult to rear poultry in this country 

 on account of these small opossums, scarcely a night 

 passing in some parts in which the fowls are not attacked 

 by them. 



August ^th. — The river reminds me of some parts of 

 the Jaburu channel, being hemmed in by two walls of 

 forest rising to the height of at least 100 feet, and the 

 outlines of the trees being concealed throughout by a 

 dense curtain of leafy creepers. The impression of vege- 

 table profusion and overwhelming luxuriance increases 

 at every step. The deep and narrow valley of the Cupari 

 has a moister climate than the banks of the Tapajos. 

 We have now frequent showers, whereas we left every- 

 thing parched up by the sun at Aveyros. 



After leaving the last sitio we advanced about eight 

 miles and then stopped at the house of Senhor Antonio 

 Malagueita, a mameluco settler, whom we had been 

 recommended to visit. His house and outbuildings were 

 extensive, the grounds well wooded, and the whole wore 

 an air of comfort and well-being which is very uncommon 

 in this country. A bank of indurated white clay sloped 

 gently up from the tree-shaded port to the house, and 

 beds of kitchen-herbs extended on each side, with (rare 

 sight !) rose and jasmine trees in full bloom. Senhor 

 Antonio, a rather tall middle-aged man with a counten- 



