MAMMALS OF MARYLAND 



81 



Figure 30. — Distribution of Tamiasciurus hudsonicus loquax. 



This squirrel is differentiated from all others in Maryland by its 

 small size and reddish coloration. 



Measurements. — Two adults from the vicinity of Bethesda, Mont- 

 gomery County, have external measurements as follows : Total length 

 310, 303; tail 130, 130; hind foot 50, 51; ear 22, 27. Cranial measure- 

 ments of 10 adults from Laurel, Prince Georges County are : Greatest 

 length 45.2 (44.4-46.0) ; zygomatic breadth 26.2 (26.0-27.2) ; least 

 interorbital breadth 13.9 (13.1-14.6) ; length of maxillary toothrow 

 7.2 (6.6-7.8). 



Habitat and habits. — This squirrel prefers spruce and hemlpck 

 forests, but is often found in deciduous woods and in rural areas in 

 the northern hardwoods region where it sometimes builds nests in 

 the attics of houses. It is more terrestrial than the gray squirrel, spend- 

 ing a great deal of time on the ground searching for food. It is also 

 more omnivorous than the gray squirrel, eating almost any kind of 

 seed, nut, or berry. Various kinds of fungi are consumed and even 

 an occasional egg when the nest of a songbird is raided. Hamilton 

 (1943, p. 224) says that it has been known to kill and partially 

 devour young cottontail rabbits. 



The bulky nest of the red squirrel, made of grass and moss, is 

 usually placed high in the branches of a tree and can be distinguished 

 from that of the gray squirrel by its smaller size and the finer material 

 used in its construction. The red squirrel is active throughout the year. 



