Family SCIURIDAE 145 



ern Illinois and about the middle of March in northern Illinois. 

 A second breeding period begins about June 15 in southern Illi- 

 nois, about June 25 in central Illinois, and about July 5 in 

 northern Illinois. About 45 days later, the second litter is born. 



Food of the gray squirrel consists chiefly of buds, seeds, 

 acorns, nuts, and other fruits of nearly all trees in the habitat 

 where the animal lives. It consists also of fungi, corn kernels, 

 soybeans, berries, and grapes. This squirrel stores quantities of 

 food for winter use, as it does not hibernate. It may, however, 

 become inactive and remain within its nest during severe cold 

 spells. 



Early in the settlement of Illinois, grays were apparently 

 much more abundant than they are today. In some years, the 

 production of nuts and seeds was especially good, and ample 

 food resulted in a large number of squirrels. In those years in 

 which the nut crop was a failure, grays in large numbers would 

 move as a group across country, surmounting many barriers 

 en route. This forced migration resulted in their being called 

 "migratory squirrels" by some people. 



The gray squirrel and the fox squirrel usually do not live 

 together in Illinois. In some towns there are only grays and in 

 other towns only fox squirrels. In some timber, usually open 

 timber, there are only fox squirrels; in other timber, usually 

 that with ample undercover, there are only grays. These two 

 species do not cross or interbreed in nature, despite stories to 

 the contrary. 



Signs. — Prints of the hind feet of the gray squirrel measure 

 a little less than 2 inches each over-all, and prints of the front 

 feet are shorter. Tracks of the gray squirrel resemble those of 

 the fox squirrel, fig. 34. Gnawed remains of nuts and depres- 

 sions an inch or so deep and about as wide among fallen leaves 

 in brushy woodlands are signs of the gray squirrel. 



Leaf nests, situated well up in trees, in a type of habitat de- 

 scribed above, indicate the presence of gray squirrels; a single 

 squirrel may be the owner of more than one leaf nest. 



Distribution. — The gray squirrel is fairly common in wooded 

 areas of Illinois. Individuals in the northern two-thirds of the 

 state are of the subspecies Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus 

 Ord, those in the southern third S. c. carolinensis Gmelin. The 

 species occurs in most of the eastern half of the United States 

 and in southern Ontario. 



