ECOLOGY OF ISLE ROYALE. 399 



As the Woodland Caribou, even in its migrations, tends to remain near 

 the forests, their fossil remains may furnish valuable suggestions con- 

 cerning the southern extension of forests during the lee Age. 



2. »SV'M(r«,s hudsoniois (Erx.). Hudson Bay Red Squirrel. Tiie Red 

 Squirrels were exceedingly abundant, especially in the coniferous forests. 

 The Squirrels, Hares, White-footed Mice and Lynx are the representa- 

 tive mammals of the island. The most conspicuous as one walked 

 through the forest were the Squirrels, whose abundance and persistent 

 barking repeatedly attracted attention. A total of 40 specimens was 

 secured from the following localities : I, 1, 2, 3, 4 ; II, 5 ; Y, 2, .3, 4, 5 and I, 

 '04. They were seen or heard at or near the following additional places: 

 I, 5; III, 2; IV, 9; V, 7; I, '04 and II, '04. Only a few of the details 

 of occurence will be given. Squirrels were abundant in the forests about 

 the Light-house at Rock Harbor (I, 3) and along the path to the fishing 

 camp ; also fairly abundant on the Jack Pine ridge on the north side of 

 Conglomerate Bay (I, 5), and in the woods about the margin of the 

 Sphagnum-spruce bog (I, 6). They also occurred in the hardwood 

 forest at the top of the Greenstone Range (IV, 9), near the head of 

 Tobin Harbor. Along the Haytown trail, north of Siskowit Bay (V, 7), 

 they were apparently not abundant, in fact very few birds or mammals 

 were seen along this trail, and the forest was noticeably silent and in 

 marked contrast to the forest at other places. The small heaps of 

 bluish cone scales of the Balsam were several times seen marking the 

 place where a squirrel had taken its meal. Our camp at Siskowit Bay 

 (V, 3) was surrounded by a balsam- spruce forest, which fact explained 

 the abundance of squirrels at this place. Much the same general con- 

 ditions prevailed along the trail to Siskowit Lake (V, 4) where they 

 were also abundant. At Washington Harbor, along the road to Wendigo 

 (I, '04), squirrels were very abundant, particularly young ones. 



Ecological Notes. — MacFarlane ('05, p. 749) states that this squirrel 

 "makes its nest in a tree and has usually, once a year, from four to six, 

 and occasionally as many as seven young.'' Merriam ('86, p. 218) states 

 that in the Adirondacks of New York the young Red Squirrels are born 

 about the first of April. On Sept. 17, 1905, Max M. Peet saw a squirrel 

 about 20 feet above the ground, tearing away loose bark from a birch 

 tree and carrying it away, presumably to be used in the construction 

 of a nest. 



Only a few observations were secured upon the food habits. While 

 fishing for trout in the outlet of Siskowit Lake, Mr. K. Neutson saw a 

 Red Squirrel running with a mushroom in its mouth. Max M. Peet also 

 saw young squirrels eat similar fungi at Washington Harbor. He 

 further reported that traps baited with nuts (hickory, peanut and wal- 

 nut) did not prove attractive to them. Along the Wendigo road (I, '04) 

 at Washington Harbor I saw a young squirrel examine some very low red 

 raspberry bushes, evidently in search of berries. It secured one and 

 stood up to eat it, but dropped down and approached within a few feet 

 of me its curiosity momentarily getting the better of its hunger. 



Notes on the Specimens Collected. — This series contains both young 

 and adults collected during July and August of 1904 and 1905, and in- 

 cludes two specimens taken in winter pelage by a trapper. In all there 

 are 52 specimens, 40 of which were taken during 1905. An examination 



