394 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



C. States with Deciduous Forest, Southeastern Coniferous Forest and 



Large Swamp Areas 



This section includes the Atlantic 

 Coast and Gulf Coast States and Arkan- 

 sas. Texas includes large areas of the 

 three tj-pes mentioned but since its 

 largest areas are steppe and desert 

 grassland transition, supporting steppe 

 animals, it is placed with the steppe 

 areas. Arkansas includes all three types 

 but its swamps are in no sense coastal 

 as are most of those of the other states 

 except Louisiana. 



1. NEW JERSEY 



By T. C. Nelson 



GENERAL ACCOUNT 



Physiographic features and original biota 



The state of New Jersey is 8224 sq. 

 mi. in area and exhibits rather diverse 

 conditions. The northwestern portion 

 of the state, which lies above a line 

 running from Seabright to Glassboro to 

 Bridgeton, includes many elevated and 

 rocky districts. Within this area are 

 the Kittatinny Mountains, the lesser 

 ridges of the Newark and Orange Moun- 

 tains, a group of ridges known as the 

 Highlands, and the Palisades of the 

 Hudson. The ridges are separated by 

 depressions containing swamps and 

 lakes. Nearly all kinds of rock and soil 

 are found in this region. The northern 

 third of the state is covered by glacial 

 drift, giving to the soils of the northern 

 and north middle counties a most varied 

 character. 



The southeastern part of the state, 

 lying below the above-mentioned line, 

 presents far greater uniformity in topog- 

 raphy and in the nature of its soils. 

 Broad sandy plains rising locally in hills 

 300 to 400 ft. high, with here and there 

 an outcropping of rock, and abundant 

 swamps comprise this area. Much of 

 this region was within comparatively 

 recent times sea bottom, but is much 

 more ancient than the glacial drift to 

 the north. 



A third region of the state which forms 



a belt running along the eastern shore 

 of the southeastern part of the state, 

 and for some distance up the shore of 

 Delaware Bay, comprises about 463 sq. 

 mi. of low lying tide marsh and 28 sq. 

 mi. of sandy beach. Throughout the 

 southern half of the eastern shore the 

 beach is separated from the mainland 

 by shallow estuaries which communicate 

 with the Atlantic Ocean by several 

 inlets. 



The total area of the state was shown 

 by the survey of 1883 to include 7514 sq. 

 mi. of land and 710 sq. mi. of water 

 surface. Of the land 7023 sq. mi. is 

 upland, as distinct from tide marsh, 

 divided into 3234 sq. mi. of forest lands 

 and 3789 sq. mi. of cleared upland. The 

 actual coast line from Jersey City to the 

 head of Delaware Bay is approximately 

 350 mi. 



Associated with each of these regions 

 is a distinct biota. Originally the 

 northwestern area was covered with a 

 heavy growth of hardwoods: oak, chest- 

 nut, maple, hickory, beech, tulip poplar, 

 ash, birch, gum and elm, with a very 

 few overgreens; white and pitch pine, 

 red cedar, hemlock and occasional black 

 spruce, white cedar, and tamarack 

 {Larix laricina) . 



The native mammal fauna included 

 the fox squirrel {Sciurus niger neglectus), 

 gray squirrel {Sciurus carolinensis), 

 red squirrel {Sciurus hudsonicus loquax), 

 flying-squirrel {Glaucomys volans), chip- 

 munk {Tamias striatus), woodchuck 

 {Marmota monax), beaver {Castor cana- 

 densis), muskrat {Ondatra zibethica ma- 

 crodon), deer-mouse {Peromyscus leuco- 

 pus noveboracensis) and other native 

 mice, snowshoe hare {Lepus americanus 

 virginianus), cottontail rabbit {Sylvila- 

 gus floridanus rnallurus), bobcat {Ljjnx 

 rufus), red fox {Vulpes fulva), gray fox 

 {Urocyon cinereoargenteus), mink {Mus- 

 tela vison mink), weasel {Mustela nove- 

 borazensis), otter {Lutra canadensis), 

 skunk {Mephitis nigra), raccoon {Pro- 

 cyon lotor), black bear {Ursus america- 



