marsupialis virginiana_.

Sycamore Creek (synonymous with Fort Worth), Texas, is a place from
which J. A. Allen (_op. cit._:173) recorded a specimen as _Didelphis
marsupialis texensis_. This specimen (No. 24359/31765 U. S. Nat. Mus.,
Biol. Surv. Coll.) is in the black color-phase. There are only a few
white hairs on the hind feet, and the basal fourth of the tail is
black. The black phase occurs all through the range of the species _D.
marsupialis_ and our examination of the specimen reveals no characters
by which it can be distinguished from _D. m. virginiana_ of the
surrounding region and we accordingly identify the specimen as
_Didelphis marsupialis virginiana_.

~Didelphis marsupialis pigra~ Bangs

Davis (Jour. Mamm., 25:375, December 12, 1944) was one writer who
presented evidence that _Didelphis virginiana_ (through its subspecies
_virginiana_ or _pigra_ or both) was only subspecifically distinct from
the species _Didelphis mesembrinus_ (= _D. marsupialis_) through the
subspecies _texensis_. Davis, however, did not actually employ a name
combination that would enforce his conclusion and he remarked that he
had not seen specimens which showed actual intergradation in the color
of the toes. As the remarks below will show, Davis (_loc. cit._) was
correct in his supposition that J. A. Allen had seen such specimens.

Deming Station, Matagordo, and Velasco, Texas, are three places from
which J. A. Allen (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 14:162, May 28, 1901)
listed specimens as _Didelphis virginiana_. The specimens concerned are
in the Biological Surveys Collection of the U.S. Nat. Museum and bear
catalogue numbers as follows: Deming Station, 32430/44266, 32432/44268,
32433/44269; Matagordo, 32431/44267; Velasco, 32812/44833. In each
specimen the tail is shorter than the head and body. The specimen from
Velasco is semi-black, has the basal tenth of the tail black and there
is no white on the ears or tail. The specimen from Matagordo is
grayish, has the basal fifth of the tail black, ears black, the right
hind foot black, but there is some white on the toes of the left hind
foot and on each of the forefeet. Of the three specimens from Deming
Station, all are in the gray color-phase. The first has the tail black
only as far from the base as there is hair and there is considerable
whitish on the hind toes. The second specimen has the basal fifth of
the tail black and a slight amount of whitish on the hind toes. The
third