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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
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