1936] MAMMALS OF OREGON 119 



of acorns and jackets of UmbelMaria nuts on the ground. The 

 large cones of the sugar pine furnish one of their favorite foods, 

 and as soon as the seeds are full grown the cones are cut off and let 

 drop to the ground or carried, to safe perches on branches of the 

 tall trees, where the scales are cut away and the seeds eaten. No 

 smaller squirrel could handle these heavy cones, which are often over 

 a foot long. The cones of yellow pine and Jeffrey pine are eaten in 

 the same way, and in places the cones of Douglas fir furnish 

 some food. Acorns of any available species of oak are a standard 

 food of these squirrels, and the large nuts of the Oregon myrtle, 

 Umbellularia calif arnica^ when abundant, are extensively eaten. 

 The seeds of many other trees and shrubs are probably eaten, and in 

 places there have been reports of these squirrels eating bark from 

 the branches of trees evidently cases of starvation when other food 

 supply had failed. 



Econ&m&c status. The recent development of nut culture as an 

 extensive industry in the Willamette Valley has placed these squir- 

 rels on the list of local rodent pests and quite naturally. A well- 

 laden grove of English walnuts or giant filberts soon draws the 

 squirrels from the neighboring pine groves in considerable numbers 

 and in many cases bushels of the nuts are eaten or carried away to 

 be stored for winter use. In some cases a small grove of nut trees 

 is entirely stripped of fruit before it is ripe enough for harvest. 

 Naturally the nut growers use every possible means of protecting 

 their crops, but shooting, trapping, and poisoning have not proved 

 satisfactory and the Biological Survey has been appealed to for help. 

 At last accounts, trapping the squirrels alive in simple wire cage 

 traps seems the most promising method of control. 



Probably no squirrels excel these in value as game and food, and 

 during the early settlement and development of the State they have 

 played an important part, which for generations to come will con- 

 tinue, if they are given the protection they merit. Another value 

 rated by many above that of game is the opportunity for everyone to 

 see these beautiful creatures unafraid and loping with plumy tails 

 over the grass or frisking in the trees of fully protected woods and 

 parks, or even coming to take nuts from the hands of delighted 

 children. At Ashland, the tameness of these great squirrels makes 

 them an attractive feature of the beautiful city park. 



SCIURUS DOUGLASII DOUGLASII BACHMAN 



DOUGLAS'S SQUIRREL; ORANGE-BELLIED CHICKAREE; AP-POE-POE of the Chinook 



(J. K. T.) 



Sciurus doufflasii Bachman, Zool. Soc. London, Proc., p. 99, 1838. 



Type locality. Near the mouth of the Columbia River. 



General characters. Small as in the red-squirrel group, ears short and slightly 

 tufted, tail bushy, wide, and flattened. Summer pelage, upper parts dark 

 brownish gray from mixture of orange and black-tipped hair; ear tufts and 

 stripe on each side of the body black; middle of tail reddish brown, edged 

 and tipped with orange beyond a dusky submarginal zone, and a broad sub- 

 terminal area of black; whole lower parts and top of feet dark rich orange. 

 Winter pelage, back and top of tail dark rufous ; sides olive gray ; lower parts 

 orange obscured by dusky hairs ; side stripes indistinct ; top of feet dark gray. 



