September, 1945 



Brown & Yeager: Squirrels in Illinois 



495 



den shortage on the wooded uplands. 

 Water is not so plentiful, but in most up- 

 land areas is amply supplied by small runs 

 and springs. Grazing is heavier than on 

 the more rugged bluffs. Fire offers a 

 somewhat greater hazard. The cutting 

 of walnut for military use has been more 

 widespread and intensive on the wooded 

 uplands than in any other squirrel habitat 

 in Illinois. 



The w'ooded upland type reaches its best 

 development in several southern and 

 southwestern counties, but there is an ap- 

 preciable acreage of it in Jo Daviess, Car- 

 roll and other northw'estern counties. 

 The extensive black oak stands in Mason 

 and Cass counties may be considered a part 

 of the wooded upland type. The aggregate 

 wooded upland acreage is roughly twice 

 that of the river bluffs and bottoms, or 

 about 4,500,000 acres. Both fox and gray 

 squirrels inhabit the upland type, the for- 

 mer occurring throughout, and the latter, 

 as in the case of the river bottoms and 



bluffs, being restricted generally to areas 

 having heavy forest cover. Wooded up- 

 land habitats are shown in figs. 18 and 19. 



Miscellaneous Habitats 



Throughout Illinois there are habitat 

 types other than those described where 

 squirrels occur in varying numbers. The 

 most common are residence districts of 

 cities and villages, parks, estates, ceme- 

 teries and college campuses. There may 

 be some question as to whether urban- 

 dwelling animals are comparable to wild 

 or non-urban populations. Observations 

 by the writers indicate that wild and urban 

 squirrels have identical breeding periods 

 and great similarity in feeding and nesting 

 habits. It is estimated that the adjoining 

 cities of Champaign and Urbana, with a 

 total human population of about 40,000, 

 have 1,000 squirrels, all of which are gray. 

 It is probable that no Illinois municipality 

 is without a squirrel population, and that 



Fig. 19. — Dense oak-hickory-hard maple type, Coles Coiinty, unpastured and undamaged 

 by fire. A typical and high quality range for both fox and gray squirrels. 



