WESTERN FOX SQUIRREL. 



21 



The food of the fox squirrel is composed of nuts, acorns, seeds, 

 and the buds of trees, particularly of maple and elm. In late sum- 

 mer and early fall it eats the fruit of various thorn and berry bushes 

 and sometimes also destroys insects. It has been observed to gnaw 

 the bark from dead trees in order to secure beetles and their larvae. 

 In cities and towns where the food supply is rather limited it 

 sometimes visits granaries and destroys or carries away consider- 

 able gi'ain. The writer has seen an adult squirrel while carrying 

 a good-sized ear of corn, ascend a tree without much difficulty. 

 In many localities this squirrel has been reported as destroying 

 birds' nests and eggs; and while there is some evidence to corrob- 

 orate this, the habit does not seem sufficiently v/idespread and seri- 

 ous to require drastic measures of control. Sometimes by eliminat- 

 ing a single pair of squirrels or even a single individual from a 

 restricted localitv the difficulty will be solved. 



Fig. 



:; — Western Fox Squirrels leu day: 

 Photo from life by Frank C. Pellett. 



al'ler llie ijre\iou.^ puiure was taken. 

 From "Our Backdoor Neighbors." 



In Dubuque county a member of the board of supervisors in- 

 formed the writer that this species destroyed about five acres of 

 growing com on one farm where the shooting of these rodents was 

 prohibited. However, this is the only instance of serious damage 

 by this animal to which the writer's attention has been called. 



