VOL. XX, PP. 71-74 JUNE 12, 1907 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



NOTES ON THE MAMMALS OF SOUTHWESTERN 



MISSOURI. 

 BY HARTLEY H. T. JACKSON. 



The brief notes which follow are intended only as preliminary 

 notes on the mammals of southwestern Missouri. Duty in other 

 directions than field work prevented a full and comprehensive 

 study of the fauna of this much neglected section of our country. 

 The author hopes, in the near future, to continue his research 

 in this district, and at such time a more complete list with more 

 elaborate annotations will be published. 



Didelphis virginiana Kerr. 



OPOSSUM, 



Opossums are common along the osage hedges and in the scattering 

 timber along the creeks. It as frequently dwells in holes in the ground as 

 in cavities of trees or in hollow T logs, and may occasionally be encoun 

 tered well out upon the prairies, especially if there be a few persimmon 

 trees in the vicinity. During late summer and early autumn the opossum 

 sometimes visits the henhouse, evidently more for the purpose of obtain 

 ing eggs than for chickens. 



Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin. . 



GRAY SQUIRREL. 



Gray squirrels are common in the timber along the creeks and rivers. 

 They seem to prefer mixed groves of sycamore and hickory, dwelling in 

 the cavities of the former and feeding upon the nuts of the latter. They 

 are very erratic in occurrence, being found in abundance in a given locality 

 for a few years, then entirely disappearing to reappear in another locality. 

 No rnelaiiistic individuals were seen. 



Sciurus niger rufiventer (Jeofl'roy. 



FOX SQUIRREL. 



Sn'tirns n. rtijirciitrr is not as common as Sciurus carolinensis, but is 



much more regular in distribution. Fox squirrels are generally confined 



to oak woods among the higher ranges of hills. 



16 PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XX, 1907. 



?,< 19C7 



