464 



RErORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



Economic status. — Under present conditions, gray squirrels 

 rarely do much damage to fields of corn and, as far as I know, are 

 never injurious in any other way. They are pretty and interesting 

 animals and every effort should be made to give them protection 

 and preserve the species from extermination. When kept in groves 

 or city parks they should be provided with rain-proof boxes, as 

 they are very liable to pulmonary diseases during the early spring 

 months. In the, Smithsonian grounds at Washington, D. C, not 

 less than six, of a colony of 15 or 20, died during the spring of 

 1905, and in each case the cause of death was pronounced by the 

 government veterinarians to be pulmonary diseases. 



SCIURUS CAROLINENSIS LEUCOTIS Gapper. 

 NORTHERN GRAY SQUIRREL. 



Sciurus leucotis Gapper, Zool. Journ., Vol. 5, p. 206, 1830. 

 Sciurus carolinensis leucotis Miller and Rehn, Syst. Results of 



the Study of N. Amer. Land Mam. to 1900, p. 31, 1901. 

 Sciurus carolinensis hypopliaeus Merriam, Science, N. Ser., Vol. 



7, p. 351, 1886. 



Diagnostic characters. — Size larger than the southern gray 

 squirrel, the average length being about 19 inches as against 17 for 

 the southern ; the hind foot of the northern form is 2i/^ inches 

 while that of the southern is 2% inches. Ears and back clear gray 

 in winter without a rusty tinge. 



Description. — Except for the characters given above, the sub- 

 species leucotis resembles the typical carolinensis. 



Measurements. — Five specimens from the Kankakee Valley south 

 of Hebron average: Total length, 473 mm. (19 in.) ; tail, 223 mm. 

 (9 in.); hind foot 62.5 mm. (21/0 in.). Typical specimens from 

 southeastern Canada are somewhat larger. 



Range. — The principal facts known concerning the range of the 

 two forms in Indiana are stated under the account of carolinensis. 

 Tn the Kankakee Valley in Porter and J asper counties I have found 

 that the gray squirrel usually keeps in the denser swamps and is 

 seen less fn^iiicntly than is the fox s(juirrel, although equally abun- 

 dant. 



Van Oorder thinks the species is extinct in Noble County and 

 IJpson states that he has not seen the black phase in Lagrange 

 County since 1879 and that the gray squirrels are also nearly 

 extinct. It should be I'cinarked that most species of aaimals are 

 regarded as less nuiiici'ous thaTi they really are l)ecause they are 

 not frecpiently seen. 



