The crab-eating opossum is a curious creature, about ten inches in
length; with a prehensile tail, fifteen inches long, in addition. It
has a somewhat pointed nose, and a darkish fur. When born, the young
are transferred by the mother to her cradle pouch, where they live for
some weeks before they are sufficiently developed to venture abroad.
The creature is formed especially for living among the trees, about
which it moves with the activity of a monkey. It advances carefully,
always entwining its tail round one branch before venturing on to
another.
The crabs and other crustaceans on which it lives--from which
circumstance it obtains its name--are found on low marshy soils, in the
neighbourhood of which these species exist.