500 
DIDELPHYS OCIIEOPUS. 
Darwin s specimen already alluded to: the admeasurements 
of the cranium of the same specimen are— 
Inches. 
Lines. 
Total length of skull. 
2 
4 
Width. 
1 
3 
Length of nasal bones . 
n 
** of palate ... ... . 
Width of ditto between the posterior molar 
1 
n 
teeth ... ... ... . 
Distance between fore part of front incisors 
5 
and fore part of canine tooth 
44 between fore part of canine and 
2 
01 
hinder part of last molar tooth 
1 
0 
Length of lower jaw 
I 
10 } 
Tliis specimen weighed, according to Mr. Darwin, 14} ox. 
Dr. Rengger states that the animal is found throughout 
Paraguay, but not very abundantly. The specimen in the 
Paris Museum is labelled ns coming from Brazil. A speci¬ 
men which Azora saw in captivity allowed itself to be 
handled, although it was adult, und had only been caught a 
few days previously. He describes it as being very stupid, 
and in this respect resembling the D. Azara . It was fed 
upon raw meat, and a parrot happening to approach, it was 
captured and killed in a moment by the Opossum. The 
author just alluded to found six mamma* in a female which 
lie examined ; there were two folds of skin on the lower part 
of the abdomen, but no true pouch. 
I) idelph j/s och ropus. 
Didelphys oc hr opus. (Nattkrf.r) Waokbr, in Wiesmann’s Arrhiv fur 
Naturgesch. vol. vlii. Pt. 6 for 1842, p. 539. 
All that wo learn from Dr. Wagner relating to this species 
is, that it resembles the Didrljdtys lanif/era , but is of smaller 
