74 
NATURAL HISTORY 
OPOSSUM. 
The Opossum is an animal easily dis- 
tinguished from all others by two singular 
characters. The first is, that the female has 
under the belly a large cavity, where she 
receives and suckles her young. The second 
is, that the male and the female have no 
claws on the great toe of the hind-feet, which 
are separated from the others, as the thumb 
in the hand of a man, whilst the other toes 
arc armed with crooked claws, as in the 
feet of other quadrupeds. 
The Opossum is neither wild nor ferocious, 
It is easily tamed, but its nauseous smell is 
more offensive than that of the fox. Though 
it be voracious, and even greedy of blood, 
yet it feeds also upon reptiles, insects, roots, 
and even leaves and the barks of trees. 
