e, and then plunged into the
water to rejoin his companions. Immediately after, another one, of
enormous bulk, made the same attempt to get over the bow, which, had he
succeeded, would have upset the boat; but, after trying every method in
vain to keep him off, the boatswain discharged the contents of a gun
loaded with goose-shot into the animal's mouth, which killed him; he
immediately disappeared, and was followed by the whole herd. Seeing
what had happened to their companion, the enraged animals soon followed
the boat; but it luckily reached the ship, and all hands had got on
board before they came up; otherwise, some serious mischief would,
doubtless, have befallen the boat's crew.

ORDER V.

MARSUPIALA,

POUCHED ANIMALS.

This order includes animals with a pouch under the belly, where the
young are in some cases produced and nursed.

THE OPOSSUM.

This curious animal belongs exclusively to America, and is familiarly
known in the milder parts of the United States. It is about the size of
a cat, but its legs are short, and its body broad and flat. The females
are remarkable for having an abdominal pouch, to which the young ones
retreat in time of danger. The hunting of this animal is the favorite
sport in some of the Middle States. Parties go out in the moonlight
evenings of autumn, attended by dogs. These trace the opossum to some
tree, between the branches of which he hides himself from the view of
the hunter. The latter shakes him down, and the quadruped, rolling
himself into a ball, pretends to be dead. If not immediately seized, he
uncoils himself, and attempts to steal away. The various artifices it
adopts for escape have given rise to the proverb of "playing 'possum."

THE KANGAROO.

The following description of this animal, which is peculiar to New
Holland, is taken from Dawson's "Present State of Australia:"--

"The country on our right consisted of high and poor, stony hills,
thickly timbered; that on the left, on the opposite side of the river,
was a rich and thinly-timbered country. A low and fertile flat meadow
there skirted the river; and, at the extremity of the flat, hills
gradually arose with a gentle slope, covered with verdure, upon which
an immense herd of kangaroos were feeding. I crossed over with Maty
Bill and a brace of dogs, leaving the party to proceed on their route.
The moment we had crossed, the kangaroos moved off. It is extremely
curious to see the manner in whic