The Squirrels of Eastern North America. 155 



Sciurus carolinensis leucotis (Gapper). Northern Gray Squirrel. 



1830. Sciurus leucotis Gapper, Zool. Journal, V, p. 206, 1830; Bachman, 



Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1838, p. 96. 

 1792. Sciurus cinereus Schreber, Siiugth., IV, 1792, p. 766, pi. CCXII ; 



Harlan, Fauna Am., 1825, p. 173. 

 1815. Sciurus pennsyivanicus Ord, Guthrie's Geog., 2d Am. ed., II, 1815, 



p. 292 (nomen nudum). 

 1815. Sciurus hiemalis Ord, Guthrie's Geog., 2d Am. ed., II, 1815, p. 292 ; 



Rhoads, Appendix to reprint of Ord, 1894, p. 20. (Intermediate.) 

 1826. Sciurus niger Godman, Am. N. H., II, 1826, p. 133; Richardson, 



Fauna Bor.-Am., I, 1829, p. 191; Bachman, Proc. Zool. Soc. 



London, 1838, p. 96; Aud. and Bach., Quad. N. Am., I, 1849, 



p. 261, pi. XXXIV. 



1842. Sciuras vulpinus DeKay, N. Y. Zool., I, 1842, p. 59. 

 1849. Sciurus migratorius Aud. and Bach., Quad. N. Am., I, 1849, p. 265, 



pi. XXXV. 

 1877. Sciurus carolinensis var. leucotis Allen, Monog. N. Am. Sciuridse, 



1877, p. 701. 

 1894. Sciurus carolinensis pennsyivanicus Rhoads, Appendix to reprint of 



Ord, 1894, p. 19. 



Type locality. Region between York and Lake Simcoe, Ontario. 



Geographic distribution. Transition Zone and locally, lower edge of 

 Canadian Zone from the Alleghanies of Pennsylvania north through New 

 York and New England to southern New Brunswick and southern 

 Canada ; west to Minnesota. 



Habitat. Hard- wood forests and groves of oak, chestnut, and hickory. 

 Abundant over most of the country it occupies, but local in the north, 

 and only occurring where there are large tracts of hard wood. Often 

 very numerous and tame in the parks of the large cities, where it is care 

 fully protected. The northern gray squirrel is highly migratory, but the 

 migrations probably depend wholly on food supply and occur irregularly. 

 Sometimes a large section of country will be deserted for several years, 

 and at other times an unusually heavy crop of beech nuts or acorns will 

 attract the gray squirrels in enormous numbers. 



General characters. Size large ; tail long and bushy ; much given to 

 melanism locally, but especially northward. Color of normal examples 

 much lighter above than in carolinensis typicus, being silvery gray. Feet 

 large, the soles sometimes covered with hair between the pads in winter. 



Color. In winter pelage, upper parts silvery gray, the hairs banded 

 yellowish brown and black, with long white tips ; the yellowish brown 

 color often predominating on head, center of back, and upper surface of 

 hands and feet; under parts white (sometimes a specimen will be a little 

 rusty between fore legs or on neck or chest) ; hairs of tail long, yellowish 

 at base, then black and deeply tipped with white ; ears yellowish white, 

 sometimes with woolly tufts at base. In summer the white tips of the 

 hairs wear off, giving a more yellowish appearance to the whole upper 

 parts, with sometimes a good deal of rusty on the back, sides, neck, and 

 legs. Wholly black (melanistic) individuals are common at some localities, 

 and at such places ever}'' degree between the black and gray can be found. 



Cranial characters. Skull larger than that of typical carolinensis, but 

 otherwise similar. Size of an average adult skull : basilar length, 54.4 ; 



