NORTH AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES 47 



EASTERN Fox SQUIRREL; NORTHERN Fox SQUIRREL 



SCIURUS NIGER NEGLECTUS (Gray) 



Macroxus neglectus Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., scr. 3, vol. 20, p. 425, 1867 (Wilming- 

 ton, Delaware). 



SYNONYMS: Sciurus vulpinus Schreber, Saugthiere, vol. 4, p. 772, 1792 (preoccupied 

 by Sciurus vulpinus Gmelin) (Baltimore, Maryland); Sciurus ludovicianus vicinus 

 Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 10, p. 150, 1896 (White Sulphur Springs, 

 West Virginia). 



FIGS.: Audubon and Bachman, 1849, Quadrupeds of North America, vol. 1, pi. 17 

 (col.) (as Sciurus cinereus); Bangs, 1896, pi. 8, fig. 3 (skull). 



The fox squirrels are typical of open heavy forests in the 

 eastern half of the United States and extend in various sub- 

 species from New England west to the plains region in South 

 Dakota, and south to southern Florida, and to Texas and 

 northeastern Mexico. In the more thickly settled areas of the 

 East their numbers have been greatly reduced locally, and 

 especially in the Northeast they have reached nearly the point 

 of complete extirpation. The typical form, Sciurus niger niger, 

 is still fairly common in the southeastern States, from southern 

 South Carolina to Florida, frequenting chiefly the open "piney 

 woods." The northeastern race*, S. niger neglectus, however, 

 is gone from its more northern outposts and is in danger of 

 complete wiping out east of the Alleghenies. 



The eastern fox squirrel is slightly larger than that of the 

 Southeast and somewhat resembles a large gray squirrel. The 

 upper parts of the head and body are a grizzled buffy and black, 

 slightly darker on the forehead; cheeks, ears, forearms and 

 feet, the lower hind legs and hind feet pale rufous; under side 

 of body white; tail about as long as body, mixed black and 

 buffy above, rufous below and on the sides. Total length, 

 about 2 feet; tail, 11 inches; hind foot, 2.75 inches (73 mm.). 

 Distinguished from the more western race, rufiventer, by its 

 white instead of rufous belly, and from the southern typical 

 form by its rufous ears instead of white, and the usual lack of 

 black color, though rarely entirely black individuals occur. 



The eastern fox squirrel probably in former times just 

 reached southwestern Connecticut but has long since gone. 

 Linsley (1842), in his list of the mammals of that State, knew 

 of it only from Northford, a century ago. In New York State 

 it was formerly found in the southern parts in some numbers, 

 as attested by Bachman in 1839. He mentions several lately 



