TRICOLOURED OPOSSUM. 
521 
but they have most of them a white ring near the point, 
sometimes very narrow and indistinct, and sometimes broader, 
in which case the general tint produced by the mixture of 
black and white is grey-black, or dark grey. The chin, throat, 
the sides of the face (extending above the eye), and the sides 
of the body, as well as the outer surface of the legs, are of a 
deep rusty red hue ; the chest, and the whole of the abdomen, 
are pure white, or sometimes white faintly tinted with yellow. 
The ears are rather smaller than usual, and of a dark hue. 
The tail is short, and thick at the root; the hasal half, or 
rather more, is clothed with fur like that on the body, ex¬ 
cepting on the under surface, which is naked, or very nearly 
so; here, as well as on the remaining portion, the terminal 
half above, is clothed with short black hairs. The feet are 
black, slightly freckled with rust colour. 
Inches. Lines. 
Length from tip of nose to root of tail 
... 5 6 
41 of tail 
... 2 8 
li from nose to ear 
... 1 2£ 
“ of ear 
5 
“ of hind foot 
10 
According to M. Temminck, adult specimens of the 
present species vary from nine, to nine and a quarter inches, 
or rather more, in entire length, of which the tail is about 
three and a quarter inches. 
My description is taken from specimens in the Paris 
Museum, one of which is from Cayenne, where it is said to 
be most abundant. M. Desmarest states that, whilst in 
Paris, Azara recognized, in a specimen of the D . tricolor 
contained in the National Museum, his Micoure a queue 
courte; hence we find in systematic works, published since 
that time, the Three-coloured Opossum is given as a native 
of Paraguay as well as Guiana. Azara s description, however, 
