NOTES ON SCIURUS FOSSOR Peale. 
BY F. STEPHENS, 
In southern California the California gray squirrel is found only 
in the pine region, and principally in the lower part of that region 
where oaks are interspersed among the pines. My acquaintance _ 
with the species in life is confined to San Bernardino and San Diego 
counties, where I have seen it as low as 4,500 feet altitude and as 
high as 8,500. 
In southern California this squirrel does not hibernate, though 
probably not coming out of its nest in very stormy weather. It 
does not appear to store up much food for use in stormy weather, 
but depends mainly on foraging even in winter. Their homes ap- 
pear to be hollows in trees all the year through. These are lined 
_ with leaves, strips of bark, etc. The nests composed of twigs with 
the leaves on them, seen in the tree tops, are used for bringing forth 
_ and rearing the young, though perhaps used by adults in the heated 
term. June 23, 1885, 1 obtained a female and four young from 
such a nest. The nest was in the summit of a large mountain 
alder, growing along a stream on the south side of Grayback, the . 
highest peak of the San Bernardino Mountains, at about 8,000 fee 
altitude. The surrounding forest was principally large yellow pines” 
and evergreen oaks. These young were yet blind and their pelage 
was so short as to scarcely hide the skin. 
The breeding season is rather long. In my notes I find records 
relating to the breeding of this species as follows: March 25, four 
females shot, one with three embryos, one with two, one with one 
and one with none; May 28, a female taken which appeared to have 
reared young recently; -June 23, female and four young taken as 
mentioned above; July 3, one female taken was suckling young and — 
another contained two small embryos; July 5, female taken con- 
tained one half-grown embryo. 
As far as these records go they show the number of young to be 
one to four, with two and three as the usual number. They may 
be taken as indicating the rearing of young twice a year, but I feel 
in doubt of this being the case. As I have taken ungrown speci- 
mens in spring I think it takes a year at least for individuals to 
grow to maturity. As the species does no harm to crops and is 
fair eating it should be protected, at least during the breeding season. 
