24 



RODENTS OF IOWA 



trance from the side. In many cases two litters of young are pro- 

 duced in a season, the first usually early in April and the second 

 in late August or early September. A litter usually consists of 

 from three to five young, which are born naked. 



Although this squirrel remains in a quiescent or semi-dormant 

 condition often for long periods of time during severe winter 

 weather, it does not hibernate in the true sense of the word. When 

 weather conditions become more favorable it comes out, runs about 

 and feeds, and upon the appearance of another period of cold 

 again enters its nest. 



The food of the gray squirrel is very similar to that of the fox 

 squirrel and both indulge in the same habit of burying nuts and 

 acorns in holes in the earth. It is not probable that squirrels "re- 

 member" where the morsel has been placed, but probably depend 

 upon a keen sense of smell for again finding the buried nuts. Some- 

 times they burrow beneath the snow to reach the buried food, while 

 many times, no doubt, they never appear again at the spot where 

 a nut or acorn has been hidden. 



Fig. 4. Map showing' locality records of — 



1. Northern Gray Squirrel ( Sciuriis carolinensis leucotis) . 



2. Southern Red Squirrel ( Sciurus hudsonicus loquax) . 



The northern gray squirrel is reported as abundant nowhere in 

 the state except in the northeastern portion. At Waukon, Mc- 

 Gregor, and Dubuque it is more abundant than the fox squirrel. In 

 localities farther to the west individuals are met with occasionally, 



