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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



of seed-bearing cones, which they heap, some- 

 times bushels of them, about the bases of trees, 

 stumps, and the upturned roots of fallen trees 

 or under other shelter. Cones are also buried 

 here and there in the loose leaves and humus. 

 In winter many holes in the snow with piles 

 of cone scales at the entrances show where the 

 owners have dug down to their stores. 



Some of their nests are constructed in hol- 

 low trees, many others on branches near their 

 junction with the trunks, and still others in 

 underground dens under roots, logs, or stumps. 

 In winter when alarmed these squirrels some- 

 times race down the tree trunks and take 

 refuge in holes leading through the snow to 

 their food caches and underground burrows. 

 The nests built in tree-tops are usually rather 

 bulky, measuring a foot or more in diameter, 

 and are made of small twigs, dry leaves, moss, 

 grass, and fibrous bark. They are commonly 

 lined with such soft material as feathers and 

 fur. The young, numbering three to seven at 

 a litter, are born at any time between April 

 and October. 



The extraordinary intelligence and sense of 

 prevision possessed b}' squirrels of this group 

 is well illustrated by certain local food migra- 

 tions. These have been observed in eastern 

 Oregon in years when the cone crop has failed 

 and nothing was available to lay up for winter. 

 Under such conditions to remain in the moun- 

 tain forests would mean death by starvation 

 before winter had fairly begun. In 1910 and 

 1913 failure of the cone crop occurred in east- 

 ern Oregon and these squirrels promptly left 

 the mountain forests in September and de- 

 scended along creek courses to the open sage- 

 brush plains as much as seven or more miles 

 from the border of their ordinary haunts. In 

 this open country they wintered successfully, 

 raiding the farmers' grain bins, root cellars, 

 and other stores, and otherwise showing their 

 supreme fitness to survive in the struggle for 

 existence. With the coming again of summer 

 they promptly returned to their abandoned 

 homes in the pines. It appears to be one of 

 the marvels of animal intelligence that under 

 such circumstances as those named above the 

 entire body of the squirrels on the mountains 

 should have known what to do, especially as 

 a great percentage of their number could never 

 have had any previous experience as a guide. 



THE GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus caro- 



linensis and its relatives) 



{For illustration, see page 5^7) 



The gray squirrel is so well known to everyone 

 in the Eastern States that it scarcely needs an 

 introduction. Many who have not seen it in its 

 native haunts arc familiar with it as a graceful 

 and charming resident of parks in many cities. 

 It is about twice as large as the red squirrel 

 and intermediate in size between that species 

 and the fox squirrel. Although sharing some 

 of the range of both the species named, the 

 color of the gray squirrel at once distinguishes it. 



The gray squirrel is a North American 

 species with no near relative in the Old World; 

 on the Pacific coast, in the mountains of the 

 Southwest, and in Mexico are other squirrels 

 having much the same gray-colored body, but 

 with no close relationship to it. Its range 

 covers the deciduous forests of the Eastern 

 States and southern Canada from Nova Scotia 

 to Florida, and westward to the border of the 

 treeless Great Plains. Wherever they occur 

 these squirrels are an attractive element in the 

 woodland life, their barking and chattering, 

 their graceful forms, and their activity adding 

 greatly to the cheerful animation of the forest. 

 They are far less vociferous than red squirrels, 

 but their notes are varied and serve to express 

 a variet}' of meanings. 



During the early settlement of the country 

 west of the States bordering the coast, gray 

 squirrels existed in great numbers and often 

 made ruinous inroads on the pioneer corn and 

 wheat fields. In 1749 they invaded Pennsyl- 

 vania in such hosts that a bounty of three pence 

 each was put on their scalps. Eight thousand 

 pounds sterling was paid on this account, which 

 involved the killing of 640,000 squirrels. In 

 1808 a law in force in Ohio required that each 

 free white male deliver 100 squirrel scalps a 

 year or pay $3 in cash. Records of the ravages 

 of these squirrels in corn fields are extant also 

 from Kentucky, ]\Iissouri, and other States. 



Enormous migrations of gray squirrels from 

 one part of the country to another occurred in 

 those days, caused apparently by the failure of 

 food supplies in the deserted areas. Some im- 

 pulse to move in one general direction at the 

 same time appeared to affect the squirrels and 

 they swarmed across country in amazing num- 

 bers, carrying devastation to any farms crossed 

 on the way. When engaged in such move- 

 ments they appeared indifferent to obstacles 

 and without hesitation swam lakes and streams 

 even as large as the Hudson and the Ohio. 

 Amusing legends grew up concerning these 

 migrations, one of which avers that when the 

 squirrels arrived on a river bank each dragged 

 a large chip or piece of bark into the water 

 and mounting it raised its bushy tail in the 

 breeze and was wafted safely to the other 

 shore ! As a fact, many were drowned in cross- 

 ing large streams and others arrived exhausted 

 from their exertions. 



The gray and fox squirrels were favorite 

 targets for pioneer marksmen. The early 

 chronicles tell of the ability of Daniel Boone 

 and other riflemen to "bark" a squirrel, which 

 meant so to cut the bark of the branch on which 

 the squirrel sat as to bring it to the ground 

 stunned without hitting the animal. With the 

 clearing away of the forests, the general oc- 

 cupation of the country, and the decrease of 

 larger animals, gray squirrels have been de- 

 prived of most of their haunts and have be- 

 come such desirable game that they have de- 

 creased to a point requiring stringent legal 

 protection to save them from extermination. 



Gray squirrels are more thoroughly arboreal 

 than red squirrels and make their nests either 



