MAMMAL HABITATS AND THE FUTURE 



209 



BISON sp. 



Giant Bison Royal Bison 



A bison, fig, 115, much larger than the one that now exists, 

 is known from skeletal remains found near Alton. 



Fig. 115. — A restoration of the giant or royal bison. 



RANGIFER sp. 

 Caribou 



A kind of caribou is known from fossil remains found in Ken- 

 tucky and near Alton, Illinois. Two kinds of caribou now occur 

 in northern North America. 



MAMMAL HABITATS AND THE FUTURE 



Most of the mammalian species in the Illinois country when 

 its settlement began are still with us. But, with few exceptions, 

 they are here despite a lack of favorable attention paid to them. 

 Some, like the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, have been inad- 

 vertently favored by agricultural practices, in this case excessive 

 pasturing; some, like the cottontail rabbit, have been able to 

 "take it"; others, like certain bats, have not been adversely 

 affected by civilization ; and a few, like the bobcat, have been 

 able to survive because agriculture has by-passed habitats of 

 varying sizes in which they can live. 



