THE OPOSSUM 
157 
“Well!" exclaimed Buck. “I never heard of that 
before. I think he is a wise animal." 
The opossum had long gray bristling hair, a long 
nose like a rat's, and a peculiar long tail with no fur 
on it. 
“Uncle Ely," Buck suddenly thought of something, 
'do you know what I saw? This opossum hung by 
his tail, as a monkey does, before I shook him down." 
“That's right. Very few animals can do that, too." 
Suddenly the dogs yowled a few feet away. A 
Negro ran to them. 
“Heah's de old mammy 'possum and all de chillun!" 
the Negro shouted gleefully. “De dawgs found 'em 
in a hollow stump! Whoop-eee!" 
Everyone ran over to see the family. Torches were 
held so they would throw light on this new find. 
There crouched a mother opossum, with a dozen or 
more babies, no bigger than small rats, clinging to 
her back and sides! But the queerest thing was the 
way they used their tails. The mother's tail was 
curled up over her back and the babies' tails were 
wrapped around it to help them hold on! Ginger 
giggled in high excitement. Buck jumped up and 
down, laughing with the colored folk. 
This mother opossum didn't “sull," as the Ne- 
