Feb., 1912. Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin — -Cory. 103 



'Pteromys volucella Audubon & Bachman, Quadrupeds N. Amer., I, 1846, p. 216. 

 Lapham, Trans. Wis. State Agr. Soc, II, 1852 (1853), p. 339 (Wisconsin). 

 Kennicott, Agr. Rept. for 1856, U. S. Patent Office Rept., 1857, p. 69 (Illinois). 

 lb., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, I, 1853-54 (1855), p. 579 (Cook Co., Illinois). 

 Allen, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1869 (1871), p. 189 (Iowa). Strong, 

 Geol. Wis., Surv. 1873-79, I. 1883, p. 439 (Wisconsin). 



Type locality — Virginia. 



Distribution — Southern New England to northern Georgia westward 

 (except in the mountains) ; south of the Great Lakes and north of 

 Alabama to Minnesota, Iowa and eastern Kansas; replaced in the 

 South by a slightly different race — (S. v. querceti). 



Special characters — Hair on under parts entirely white to the base ; 

 fur very soft. 



Description — In summer: Upper parts grayish brown, more or less 

 washed with i*usset brown, usually deepest on upper surface of 

 tail; greater portion of upper surface of flying membrane dark drab 

 brown; under surface of tail tawny or tawny white; rest of under 

 parts white; the hairs entirely white to the bases. 



In winter: Similar, but the upper parts tinged with grayish 

 brown. 



Measurements — Total length, 9.25 in. (234.5 mm.) ; tail vertebrae, 3.90 

 in. (99.7 mm.); hind foot, 1.22 in. (31.2 mm.). 



This graceful little animal is common in wooded districts through- 

 out Illinois and the greater part of Wisconsin, but it is seldom seen on 

 account of its nocturnal habits. D^^ring the day it sleeps in some 

 hollow tree; but very late in the afternoon it occasionally, though rarely, 

 may be seen sailing through the air on a downward slant, usually from 

 the top of some tree to the trunk or lower branches of another, often 

 at a considerable distance. 



The nest is in a hollow tree and is composed of leaves and moss. 

 In the majority of cases a hole formerly occupied by a woodpecker is 

 used. The young are from 4 to 6 in number and are generally born in 

 April in this latitude. The young Squirrels make charming pets, 

 being very gentle and affectionate. 



In a letter to Audubon and Bachman, which is quoted by them, Mr. 

 Gideon B. Smith of Baltimore writes (/. c, p. 220): "They are gre- 

 garious, living together in considerable communities, and do not object 

 to the company of other and even quite different animals. For ex- 

 ample, I once assisted in taking down an old martin-box, which had 

 been for a great number of years on the top of a venerable locust tree 

 near my house, and which had some eight or ten apartments. As the 

 box fell to the ground we were surprised to see great numbers of Fly- 



