THREE-STRIPED OPOSSUM. 519 
combined with a sharply-pointed muzzle, give to the present 
species the aspect of a Shrew-mouse, and hence by the older 
authors we find it arranged amongst the Shrews ; no animal 
belonging to the order Insectioora , however, has yet been 
found in South America : the true Insectivora are there 
replaced by the Opossums. The species already described 
all climb trees more or less, and possibly the Three-striped 
Opossum may also climb, but I suspect that this animal lives 
chiefly upon the ground, and that it seeks shelter in burrows, 
as is the case with the short-tailed species, which remain to 
be noticed. Our little animal is found in but few museums, 
having probably escaped collectors from its small size, it 
being not larger than the common mouse. The following 
description is drawn up from a specimen contained in the 
museum of the Zoological Society. It was purchased from 
a dealer in Liverpool, who did not know from what part of 
America it was procured. 
The fur of the Three-striped Opossum is short, moderately 
soft, somewhat closely applied to the body, and of a grey 
colour next the skin, both on the upper and under parts of 
the animal. The general tint of the upper parts is rich 
brown, the fur being pencilled with deep yellow and black on 
the back; on the sides of the body the black gradually dis¬ 
appears towards the lower parts, where a rich rusty yellow 
tint prevails, and the same yellow hue is observed on the 
whole of the under parts of the animal. The three black 
marks on the back are rather broad; the central one com¬ 
mences near the tip of the muzzle, and extends backw T ards 
along the head and back, and on to the basal portion of the 
tail: on the middle of the back this stripe is fully a quarter of 
an inch in width ; the other two dark stripes are less broad, 
they commence immediately behind the ears, and extend to 
the root of the tail. The ears are small, rounded, and nearly 
naked, but some very minute brown hairs are scattered over 
