T 34 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
Mr. Thomas Bell, a nature lover and 
dahlia expert of Morrisville, Pennsyl- 
vania, tells many interesting things of 
some baby opossums which he raised. 
They were given the run of the house 
and became very tame. At first the 
cat and the dog left in disgust, but later 
the dog* and the opossums got along 
very well together. The ’possums as- 
sumed the right to eat from the dog’s 
plate and in the beginning this was re- 
sented, but later it was tolerated, al- 
sums are superior to cats as rat catch- 
ers. They would drive the rats from 
our buildings. They are much more 
interesting than cats and remarkably 
cleanly in their habits. 
One peculiar habit is the carrying of 
their bedding by the very useful, pre- 
hensile tail. This member is also used 
a great deal in clinging to limbs. The 
kangaroo also carries its bedding with 
the tail. Corn husks were sometimes 
put down on the ground to show vis- 
THE OPOSSUM AT HOME. 
Photograph by Dr. Pardoe. Cut lent by “Photo-Era,” Boston. 
though the animals were never 
chummy. The dog appeared to think 
himself in every way superior to them. 
Mr. Bell never succeeded in teaching 
them any tricks. They apparently had 
no fear of any animal, probably the re- 
sult of having been reared in captivity. 
They were fed on strictly vegetarian 
lines. The meat they supplied them- 
selves. Those born in captivity ap- 
peared to forget how to play ’possum, 
but never forgot how to kill snakes, 
grabbing the snake and biting it nearly 
in two and eating it with apparent 
relish. Garter snakes were the only 
kind killed. 
I can say from experience that opos- 
itors how the bedding is carried. 
Two of the full-grown female opos- 
sums fought to death, both dying from 
bites and gashes in the sides. 
The opossum shown herewith was 
easily photographed in its natural habi- 
tat. I remember an old chestnut tree 
of my boyhood days, where I once 
found an opossum asleep in a natural 
cavity in a larger lower limb, which 
could be looked into by standing on a 
large rock near-by. Going by this 
’possum paradise with our cameras one 
day, I got up on the rock to look and, 
sure enough, there was Mr. ’Possum. 
The tripod legs were not quite long 
enough to bring the camera in a good 
