1 90 1.] Allen, Opossums of the Genus Di del phis. I 67 



crinkled, woolly hairs of a rusty chestnut brown color. During the non- 

 breeding period the pouch hairs are often gray or even whitish. 



In fresh pelage the underfur is nearly clear white or grayish white. Later it 

 takes on a yellowish cast, sometimes becoming decidedly yellowish white, par- 

 ticularly on the head and anterior half of the body. The sides of the neck are 

 often buffy, varying from pale buff to orange buff. 



Young. Above uniform black with generally a few white bristly hairs scat- 

 tered over the dorsal surface. In very young specimens the underfur is dingy 

 gray ; as the animal increases in size and the pelage becomes longer, the under- 

 fur becomes white at base with a broad terminal zone of blackish. The head 

 has a distinct color pattern, being white with a broad brownish black stripe 

 running from the ear to beyond the eyes, and an extension forward over the top 

 of the head of the blackish color of the body, terminating in a pointed area 

 about opposite the eyes. In other words, the cheeks are white ; there is a broad 

 white spot at the inner posterior base of the ears, and a white band above the 

 black band that runs through the eyes. The ears are entirely flesh-color' to the 

 base, changing gradually to black in the adult, the black usually beginning at 

 the base and spreading toward the tips, but sometimes first appearing as dusky 

 blotches irregularly dispersed. The feet and the basal portion of the tai,l are 

 black as in the adults. (See Plate XXV, Figs. I, 2.) 



Measurements As shown by the measurements given in Table III, the total 

 length of the animal ranges in adult specimens from 820 to 940 mm. in the 

 male, and from 725 to 850 in the female. The adult skull ranges in total 

 length from 112 to 136 in the male, and from 103 to 120 in the female. The 

 ratio of length of tail to that of the head and body is generally between 85 

 and go. 



Specimens examined : 



Tamaulipas : Alta Mira, near Tampico, 4 specimens 2 in black phase, 2 

 in gray phase ; also I additional skull. 



Nuevo Leon : Monterey, 4, i black, 3 gray. 



Chihuahua: Batopilas, i, black. 



Sonora: Hermosillo, i, black. 



Sinaloa : Sierra de Choix, i, gray ; Culiacan, i, black ; near Mazatlan, 2 

 i black, i gray; Rpsario, i, gray; Escuinapa, i, black. 



Durango : Chacala, i, black. 



Zacatecas : San Juan de Capistrano, i, gray. 



Tepic : Tepic, 2 i black, i gray. 



Jalisco : Ameca, 2 skulls ; Atemajac, 2, gray ; Zapotlan, i, gray ; San Se- 

 bastian, i, black ; Etzaplan, 11, all very young, in first (black) pelage ; Gua- 

 dalajara, 8, all gray, and 29 young, one fifth grown, in alcohol. 



Colima : Armeria, 6 4 black, 2 gray ; Manza'nillo, q, all black ; also 3 

 additional skulls from Armeria and 7 from Colima. 



Michoacan : Querendaro, 3, gray ; Patzcuaro, i, gray ; Hacienda El Mo- 

 tino, 2, gray. 



Guanajuato : Celaya, i, black. 



Queretaro: Jalpan, i. 



