The first is the small flying opossum, Belideus ariel, a beautiful little animal, exactly line a small flying squirrel in appearance, but belonging to the marsupial order.

The other three are species of the curious genus Cuscus, which is peculiar to the Austro-Malayan region.

These are opossum-like animals, with a long prehensile tail, of which the terminal half is generally bare.

They have small heads, large eyes, and a dense covering of woolly fur, which is often pure white with irregular black spots or blotches, or sometimes ashy brown with or without white spots.

They live in trees, feeding upon the leaves, of which they devour large quantities, they move about slowly, and are difficult to kill, owing to the thickness of their fur, and their tenacity of life.