12 THE) A:U\DIU'B:O°N* BU DL Divi 
list of 864 species of wildlife found by me in Elk Grove Preserve and 
private lands adjoining between September 1, 1941, and September 2, 1942, 
inclusive. This list, giving the common and the scientific name of each 
species, includes the following: Mammals, 28; birds, 169; reptiles, 10; 
amphibians, 10; trees, 64; shrubs, 49; vines, 33; flowers, 489; ferns, 12. 
It is almost impossible to list every species in an area as large as Elk 
Grove in a year’s time. However, this report is as complete as it can be 
made and many interesting things were noted. The field work was divided 
into three periods: the fall and winter, starting on August 25 and termi- 
nating March 25; the spring, March 26 to June 15; the final or summer 
survey, starting June 16 and finished September 1. Thus this represents 
the work of a full year in the field. Mr. Walter Kennicott worked with 
me and was a valuable helper, while from time to time various other 
interested naturalists joined in field trips through some part of the preserve. 
During the fall and winter the whole area was cover-typed for tree 
types, and the drainage, streams and ponds mapped. This was accom- 
plished by dividing the area into some 23 smaller areas. When these 238 
smaller maps are put together they form a complete map of Elk Grove. 
During the spring and summer these smaller areas were visited often 
enough so that each was covered once a week. During the winter months 
the sharp thorns of the prickly ash shrubs were the biggest drawback, 
tearing clothing and skin. In the spring the water in the low grounds 
made getting into them almost impossible. From June to August, the 
immense swarms of mosquitoes, especially in the swampy areas, made 
tarrying in those areas impossible. During the latter part of June and 
early July, I had to wear a mosquito-netting veil dropping from my hat 
down to my shoulders, a ‘“puncture-proof” light jacket and gloves, to be 
able to do any work in the low areas at all. . The mosquitoes were the 
largest and most numerous I have ever seen. 
MAMMALS 
Different parts of Elk Grove seem to be particularly adapted to different 
kinds of wildlife. The larger mammals, particularly the predators, seem 
to prefer the swampy ground—wet woods with heavy underbrush of prickly 
ash, hawthorn, viburnum, cornus and hazel, interspersed with ponds partial- 
ly choked with buttonbush. This is the favorite hunting ground of both 
red and gray fox. They seem to skirt the edge of the ponds, seldom leaving 
the cover of the heavy underbrush. Elk Grove is the only area where I 
have found the gray fox at all common. In most parts of our area it is 
almost extinct. During the winter months when snow was on the ground 
I saw gray fox tracks almost every day, but always in the swampy ground. 
They seemed to have more or less regular trails which they followed. I saw 
a gray fox on at least a dozen occasions during the winter, either on snowy 
or cloudy days. A gray fox was seen on several occasions by August Busse 
crossing Township Road. In June a gray fox kit about a month old was 
picked up by Ernest Tagge near the chicken coop on his farm. It was 
placed in an outside wire cage near the edge of the woods. Although it: 
would not come out when anyone approached the cage, but would hide in 
