124 
VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 
plied to the Opossum. At this period, the mother, in giving sustenance to 
so large a family, becomes thin, and is reduced to one half of her previous 
weight. The whole family of young remain with her about two months, 
and continue in the vicinity till autmun. In the meantime, a second and 
often a third brood is produced, and thus two or more broods of different 
ages may be seen, sometimes with the mother, and at other times not far 
off. 
The Opossum, with the exception of our gray rabbit, is one of the most 
prolific of our quadrupeds. We consider the early parts of the three 
months of March, May and July, as the periods in South Carolina when 
they successively bring forth ; it is even probable that they breed still 
more frequently, as we have observed the young during all the spring 
and summer months. In the month of May, 1830 , whilst searching for a 
rare species of coleoptera, in removing with our foot some sticks composing 
the nest of the Florida rat, we were startled on finding our boot uncere- 
moniously and rudely seized by an animal which we soon ascertained 
Avas a female Opossum. She had in her pouch fiA^e A'ery small young 
whilst, seven others, about the size of full groAvn rats were detected peep- 
ing from mider the rubbish. The females produce young at a year old. 
The young born in July do not bring forth as early as those born in March, 
but have their young as soon as the middle of the succeeding May. 
There is, of course, in this as well as in other species, some degree of 
irregularity in the time of their producing, as well as in the number of 
their young. We have reason to believe, also, that this species is more 
prolific in the southern than in the Middle States. 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 
The Hudson River may be regarded as the farthest eastern limit of the 
Opossum. We have no doubt but that it will in time be found existing to 
the east of the Hudson, in the southern counties of New- York as well as 
on Long-Island and the warmer parts of the Eastern States, as the living 
animals are constantly carried there, and we have little doubt that if it was 
considered important it could be encouraged to multiply there. It has 
been stated to us that in New- Jersey, within five or ten miles of New- York, 
as many as ten or fourteen of these animals have within a few years past 
been taken in an autumn by means of traps, but that their number is gradu- 
ally diminishing. It is common in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania, becom- 
ing more abundant as we proceed southwardly through North Carolina, 
South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, to Mexico ; inhabiting 
in great numbers the inter-tropical regions. To the west we have traced 
