20 5 
OPOSSUM. 
with fmall fcales j the half next the body black, the 
reft white: it has a difagreeable appearance, look¬ 
ing like the body of a fnake, and has the fame pre- 
henfile' quality as that of fome monkies: body 
round, and pretty thick: legs fhort: on the lower 
part of the belly of the female is a large pouch, in 
which the teats are lodged, and where the young 
fhelter as foon as they are born. The length of one 
I examined was feventeen inches *, that of the tail 
fourteen. 
Inhabits Virginia , Louifiana , Mexico , Braj% and 
Peru : is very deftrudive to poultry, and fucks the 
blood without eating the fiefh: feeds alfo on roots 
and wild fruits: is very adive in climbing trees ; 
will hang fufpended from the branches by its tail, 
and, by fwinging its body, fling itfelf among the 
boughs of the neighboring trees : hunts eagerly af¬ 
ter birds and their nefts : walks very flow : when 
purfued and overtaken, will feign itfelf dead : not 
eafily killed, being as tenacious of life as a cat: 
when the female is about to bring forth, flie makes 
a thick neft of dry grafs in fome clofe bufli at the 
foot of a tree, and brings four, five, or fix young 
at a time. 
As foon as the young are brought forth, they 
take flicker in the potrch, or falfe belly, and fallen 
fo clofely to the teats, as not to be feparated with¬ 
out difficulty : they are blind, naked, and very 
fmall when new-born, and referable fcetufes: it is 
therefore neceflary that they fliould continue there 
till they attain a perfed fiiape, ftrength, fight and 
hair j and are prepared to undergo what may be 
called 
