THE MAMMALS OF NEW JERSEY. 39 



Order MARSUPIALIA. 



Pouched Mammals. 



This order is represented in America only by the opossums, 

 and but one species occurs north of Mexico. 



Family DIDELPHID^. 



Opossums. 

 Genus DiDDLPHis, Linnaeus, 



Didelphis virginiana Kerr. 



Virginia Opossum. 



Plate i. 



Length, 27 inches; hair long and rather coarse; general 

 color, grayish white; long overlying hairs, white; under fur 

 white, with black tips; legs brownish black; feet black, toes 

 white, head, throat and underparts white, ears naked, black 

 with whitish tips; tail prehensile, nearly naked, black at the 

 base, passing into dull flesh color. 



This familiar animal is abundant all over the southern states, 

 and ranges well up the Mississippi Valley and up the Atlantic 

 slope as far as southern New York. Its normal range is coin- 

 cident with the upper border of the Carolinian fauna, which runs 

 approximatel}^ from New York to Trenton, and which marks 

 also' the northern limit of the opossum's favorite food, the per- 

 simmon, and, in a general way, that of his mortal enemy, the 

 country negrO'. 



The opossum, however, occurs farther north in the State in 

 reduced numbers, and Mr. Rhoads records individuals secured 

 in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties, in all of which, how- 

 ever, it is resrarded as rare. 



