PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAMMALS OF NEW YORK 305 
Type locality. Region between York and Lake Simcoe, Ontario, 
Canada. 
faunal position. Yransition zone and lowermost part of Canadian zone. 
Flabitat. “ Hardwood forests and groves of oak, chestnut and hickory” 
(Bangs, ’96e, p. 155). The gray squirrel is often abundant in parks, 
cemeteries and the outskirts of towns and cities. 
Distribution in New York. The distribution of the gray squirrel in 
New York is remarkably irregular. The animal is often abundant in 
localities where it would not be expected to thrive, and as unaccountably 
absent from others The cause of this irregularity is probably to be 
found in some variation in the food supply. That food has a very 
marked influence on the periodical increase and decrease of gray squirrels 
is well known. Dr Merriam writes, ‘This species . . . varies in abun- 
dance from year to year according to the conditions of the nut crop. 
. . . My notes show that the beechnut crop was good in the autumns of 
1871, 1873, 1875, 1877, 1879, 1881, 1883—~— always on the odd years —~ 
while on the alternate seasons it failed. And strange as it may at first 
sight appear, squirrels are usually most numerous during the summer and 
early autumn of those years when there are few or no nuts. The reason 
is this: when the yield is large there is a noticeable influx of squirrels 
from distant parts, and they, together with those that were here at the 
time, winter well having an abundance of food, and breed here the follow- 
ing spring. During the summer and early autumn a multitude of young 
now nearly full grown mingle with the parent stock. Hence the species 
attains at this time its maximum in numbers. But this is the year when 
the nut crop is a failure. ‘Therefore, as the fall advances and they find 
there is a scarcity of provision for the winter many of them migrate, we 
know not where. Then come the October “ squirrel hunts ”—a disgrace 
to the state as well as to the thoughtless men and boys who 
participate in them—and the number left to winter is deplorably small. 
“As the abundance of the gray squirrel in winter is governed by the 
supply of beechnuts so is the presence at this season of its assailant, the 
red-headed woodpecker (J@elanerfes erythrocephalus) determined by the 
same cause. I have elsewhere called attention to this fact, remarking 
that ‘with us a squirrel year is synonymous with a good year for AZe/an- 
erpes, and vice versa’ [’8rb, p. 347]. Gray squirrels, red-headed wood- 
peckers and beechnuts were numerous during the winters of 1871-72, 
1873-74, 1875-76, 1877-78, 1879-80, 1881-82, 1883-84 while during 
the alternate years the squirrels and nuts were scarce, and the wood- 
peckers altogether absent.” (84d, p. 127-28). 
