The young opossums stick to the paps of the mother till they have acquired strength enough, and a sufficient growth to move easily.

The latest and fullest account of the manners and habits of the opossum, is given by Dr Godman. "The opossum," says he, "is very remarkable from other peculiarities, besides those which relate to the continuation of its kind. In the first place, it has a very large number of teeth, (no less than fifty,) and its hind feet are actually rendered hands, by short, fleshy, and opposable thumbs; which, together with the prominences in the palms of these posterior hands, enable the animal to take firm hold of objects which no one would think could be thus grasped. An opossum can cling by these feet hands, to a smooth silk handkerchief, or a silk dress, with great security, and climb up by the same. In like manner, he can ascend by a skein of silk, or even a few threads. The slightest projection, or doubling, of any material, affords him a certain mean of climbing to any desired height. Another curious and amusing peculiarity, is his prehensile tail; by simply curving this at the extremity, the opossum sustains his weight, and depends from the limb of a tree, or other projecting body, and hanging in full security, gathers fruit, or seizes any prey within his reach; to regain his position on the limb, it is only necessary to make a little stronger effort with the tail, and throw his body upward at the same time.

"In speaking of the more obvious peculiarities of the opossum, we may advert to the thinness and membranous character of the external ears, which may remind us, in some degree, of what has been heretofore said relative to the perfection of the sense of touch possessed by the bat, in consequence of the delicacy of the extended integument forming the ears and wings. The extremity of the nose of our animal is also covered with a soft, moist, and delicate integument, which is, no doubt, very sensitive. On the sides of the nose, or rather on the upper lip, there are numerous long and strong divergent whiskers, or bristles, projecting to the distance of nearly three inches; over each eye, there are two long, black bristles, rather softer than the others, somewhat crisped, or undulated, and slightly decurved; while, on the posterior part of the cheek, and about an inch below and in front of the ear, there is a bunch of long, straight bristles, (very similar to those of a hog,) six or eight in number, projecting laterally, so as to form a right angle with the head. When the elongated conical form of the opossum's head is recollected, together with its nocturnal habits, we cannot avoid remarking, that all these arrangements appear to have immediate reference to the safety of the animal, furnishing the means of directing its course, and warning it of the presence of bodies which otherwise might not be discovered until too late.

"The mouth of the opossum is very wide when open, yet the animal does not drink by lapping, but by suction. The wideness of the mouth is rendered very remarkable, when the female is approached, while in company with her young. She then silently drops the lower jaw to the greatest dis

tance it is capable of moving, retracts the angles of the lips, and shows the whole of her teeth, which thus present a formidable array. She then utters a muttering kind of snarl, but does not snap, until the hand, or other object, be brought very close. If this be a stick, or any hard or insensible body, she seldom closes her mouth on it after the first or second time, but maintains the same gaping and snarling appearance, even when it is thrust into her mouth. At the same time, the young, if they have attained any size,

either exhibit their signs of defiance, take refuge in the pouch of the mother, or, clinging to various parts of her body, hide their faces amidst her long hair.

"The general color of the opossum, is a whitish gray. From the top of the head, along the back, and upper part of the sides, the gray is darkest; and this color is produced by the intermixture of coarse white hairs, upwards of three inches long, with a shorter, closer, and softer hair, which is white at base, and black for about half an inch at tip. The whole pelage (fur,) is of a woolly softness, and the long white hairs, diverging considerably, allow the back parts to be seen, so as to give the general gray color already mentioned. On the face the wool is short, and of a smoky white color; that on the belly is of the same character, but is longer on the fore and hind legs; the color is nearly black from the body to the digits, which are naked beneath. The tail is thick and black, for upwards of three inches at base, and is covered by small hexagonal scales, having short rigid hairs interspersed throughout its length, which are but slightly perceptible at a little distance. The opossum is generally killed for the sake of its flesh and fat. Its wool is of considerable length and fineness, during the winter season, and we should suppose, that in manufactures it would be equal to the sheep's wool which is wrought into coarse hats.

"The opossum is a nocturnal and timid animal, depending for his safety more on cunning than strength. His motions are slow, and his walk, when

on the ground, entirely plantigrade, which gives an appearance of clumsiness to his movements. When on the branches of trees, he moves with much greater ease, and with perfect security from sudden gusts of wind; even were his weight sufficient to break the limb on which he rests, there is no danger of his falling to the earth, unless when on the lowest branch, as he can certainly catch, and securely cling, to the smallest intervening twigs, either with the hands or the extremity of the tail. This organ is always employed by the animal, while on the smaller branches of trees, as if to guard against such an occurrence, and it is very useful in aiding the opossum to collect his food, by enabling him to suspend himself from a branch above, while rifling a bird's nest of its eggs, or gathering fruits.

"The food of the opossum varies very much, according to circumstances. It preys upon birds, various small quadrupeds, eggs, and, no doubt, occasionally upon insects. The poultry yards are sometimes visited, and much havoc committed by the opossum, as, like the weasel, this animal is fonder of cutting the throats and sucking the blood of a number of individuals, than of satisfying his hunger by eating the flesh of one. Among the wild fruits, the persimon, (Diospyros Virginiana,) is a great favorite, and it is generally after this fruit is in perfection, that the opossum is killed by the country people for the market. At that season it is very fat, and but little difference is to be perceived between this fat and that of a young pig. The flavor of the flesh is compared to that of a roasted pig: we have, in several instances, seen it refused by dogs and cats, although the opossum was in fine order, and but recently killed. This may have been owing to some accidental circumstance, but it was uniformly rejected by these animals, usually not very nice when raw flesh is offered.

"The hunting of the opossum is a favorite sport with the country people, who frequently go out with their dogs at night, after the autumnal frosts have begun, and the persimon fruit is in its most delicious state. The opossum, as soon as he discovers the approach of his enemies, lies perfectly close to the branch, or places himself snugly in the angle where two limbs separate from each other. The dogs, however, soon announce the fact of his presence, by their baying, and the hunter, ascending the tree, discovers. the branch upon which the animal is seated, and begins to shake it with great violence, to alarm, and cause him to relax his hold. This is soon effected, and the opossum, attempting to escape to another limb, is pursued immediately, and the shaking is renewed with greater violence, until at length the terrified quadruped allows himself to drop to the ground, where hunters, or dogs, are prepared to dispatch him.

"Should the hunter, as frequently happens, be unaccompanied by dogs when the opossum falls to the ground, it does not immediately make its escape, but steals slowly and quietly to a little distance, and then gathering itself into as small a compass as possible, remains as still as if dead. Should there be any quantity of grass or underwood near the tree, this

apparently simple artifice is frequently sufficient to secure the animal's escape, as it is difficult by moonlight, or in the shadow of the tree, to distinguish it; and if the hunter has not carefully observed the spot where it fell, his labor is often in vain. This circumstance, however, is generally attended to, and the opossum derives but little benefit from his instinctive artifice.

"After remaining in this apparently lifeless condition for a considerable time, or so long as any noise indicative of danger can be heard, the opossum slowly unfolds himself, and creeping as closely as possible upon the ground, would fain sneak off unperceived. Upon a shout, or outcry, in any tone, from his persecutor, he immediately renews his deathlike attitude and stillness. If then approached, moved, or handled, he is still seemingly dead, and might deceive any one not accustomed to his actions. This feigning is repeated as frequently as opportunity is allowed him of attempting to escape, and is known so well to the country folks, as to have long since passed into a proverb: 'He is playing possum,' is applied with great readiness by them, to any one who is thought to act deceitfully, or wishes to appear what he is not.

"The usual haunts of the opossum, are thick forests, and their dens are generally in hollows of decayed trees, where they pass the day asleep, and sally forth, mostly after nightfall, to seek food. They are occasionally seen out during daylight, especially when they have young ones of considerable size, too large to be carried in the maternal pouch. The female then offers a very singular appearance, as she toils along with twelve or sixteen cubs, nearly of the size of rats, each with a turn of his tail round the root of the mother's, and clinging to her back and sides with paws, hands, and mouth. This circumstance was thought distinctive of another species, hence called dorsigera, but is equally true of the common or Virginian opossum. It is exceedingly curious and interesting to see the young, when the mother is at rest, take refuge in the pouch, whence one or two of them may be seen peeping out, with an air of great comfort and satisfaction. The mother in this condition, or at any time in defence of her young, will make battle, biting with much keenness and severity, for which her long canine teeth are well suited.

"If taken young, the opossum is generally tamed, and becomes very fond of human society, in a great degree relinquishes its nocturnal habits, and grows troublesome from its familiarity. We have had one thus tamed, which would follow the inmates of the house with great assiduity, and complain with a whining noise when left alone. As it grew older, it became mischievous, from its restless curiosity, and there seemed to be no possibility of devising any contrivance effectually to secure it. The same circumstance is frequently remarked by persons who have attempted to detain them in captivity; and of the instances which have come to our knowledge, where even a great number were apparently well secured, they have all in a short

time enlarged themselves, and been no more heard of. In some such instances these animals have escaped in the city, and for a long time have taken up their quarters in cellars, where their presence has never been suspected, as during the day they remained concealed. In this way it is very probable that many are still living in the city of Philadelphia, obtaining a plentiful food by their nightly labors."

Is a small animal, a little larger than a rat, very much resembling the opossum in the snout, the ears, and the tail, which is thicker and stronger than that of a rat; he makes use of it as we do our hands; he has thin transparent ears; the belly, the legs, and feet white. The young, when they are frightened, embrace the mother, who lifts them up on the trees. This species has been found on the mountains of New Spain.

THE MARMOSE, OR MURINE OPOSSUM,2

RESEMBLES, in most respects, the Virginian; they are natives of the same climate, in the same continent, and are very much alike by the form of the body, the conformation of the feet, and the tail, a part of which is covered with scales, the upper part only being hairy. But the marmose is smaller than the common opossum, his snout is still sharper; the female has no bag under the belly, she has only two loose skins near the thighs, between which the young place themselves to stick to the paps. When the young are brought forth, they are not so large as small beans; they then stick to the paps. The brood of the marmose is very numerous; we have seen ten small marmoses, each sticking to a pap, and the mother had still four more paps. It is probable that these animals bring forth a few days after conception. The young are then fœtuses only, which are not come to the fourth part of their growth.

1 Didelphis cayopollin, LIN.

2 Didelphis murina, LIN.