This little Opossum, which is the only species I am acquainted with from
the west side of the Cordillera, was exhibited at one of the scientific
meetings of the Zoological Society, and its characters were pointed out
by Mr. James Reid, who proposed for it the specific name of
_hortensis_,[47] a name which was given from the circumstance that in
Mr. Darwin’s notes it is stated that a small Opossum was found in a
garden at Maldonado. These notes however refer to the _Didelphis
brachyura_. The skull of this animal is figured in Plate 35. Fig. 5,
_a_, represents the upper side; 5, _b_, the under side; and 5, _c_, is
the side view. Fig. 5, _d_, is the lower jaw, and 5, _e_, is the same
magnified. The length of the skull is 14½ lines; width, 8 lines; length
of palate, 7¼ lines; inter-orbital space, 2½ lines; length of _ramus_ of
lower jaw, 10½ lines. In the palate are two long openings which commence
opposite the posterior false molar, and terminate opposite the hinder
portion of the penultimate true molar: the incisive foramina are nearly
one line in length. On the posterior portion of the palate there are
four other foramina, one on each side near the posterior molar, and one
on either side the mesial line, behind the large palatine openings above
mentioned.
“These little animals frequent the thickets growing on the rocky hills,
near Valparaiso. They are exceedingly numerous, and are easily caught in
traps baited either with cheese or meat. The tail appeared to be
scarcely at all used as a prehensile organ; they are able to run up
trees, with some degree of facility. I could distinguish in their
stomachs the larvæ of beetles.”—D.
4. DIDELPHIS BRACHYURA.
PLATE XXII.