THE CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM. 475 
the back it is very long, the longest hairs being as much as 
three inches in length. The general hue of these animals 
is sooty black, but the hairs are of a dirty yellow-white hue 
next the skin, and this pale colour is not altogether hidden 
by the long black points of the hairs: on the under parts of 
the body, where there are but few of the coarser and longer 
hairs, the colour may be described as yellowish white, suffused 
with black ; and on the throat a rusty hue is visible : the tip 
of the muzzle is brown ; the ears are black. About one- 
fourth of the tail is clothed with fur like that on the body; 
the remaining portion is curved with small scales, between 
which spring very minute hairs; the first half of the scaly 
portion of the tail is black, and the apical half is white. 
I have given the dimensions of two specimens alluded to 
as I find them, but the admeasurements in the third column 
are more to be depended upon, since they were taken by M. 
Temminck from a specimen preserved in spirits, whilst the 
others are from skins. I have added, also, in the third 
column, the dimensions of a skull taken from Temminck’s 
figure. The author just mentioned states that in upwards of 
thirty specimens of D. cancrivora which had come under 
his notice, the only variation in colouring which he per¬ 
ceived was, that some specimens had the free points of the 
hairs of the fur perfectly black, whilst in others they were of 
a blackish chestnut hue. 
The Crab-eating Opossum extends into Brazil, but is 
chiefly found in Guiana; like its congeners, it climbs trees, 
and it is said to be a bad runner. It prefers swampy situa¬ 
tions where small crabs abound, these forming its food, which 
consists likewise of small birds, reptiles, and insects. The 
Indians eat its flesh, which is said to resemble in flavour 
that of the Hare. 
