526 
1935 in Du Page, Kendall and Livingston 
counties. The writer saw a very old male 
with badly worn teeth caught in the south- 
ern part of Champaign County about 
1302 
Extensive collecting and observation by 
biologists and game specialists of the Illi- 
nois Natural History Survey and by nat- 
uralists of the University of Illinois have 
shown that badgers are at present ex- 
tremely rare as far south as Champaign 
County. For example, Koestner (1941) 
made no mention of having found any 
badgers while collecting in Ford County 
in 1940. In making his fur survey of 
Champaign County, Brown found no evi- 
dence to indicate that badgers had been 
killed in this county in 1938-39 or 1939- 
40. 
Catch.—During the years for which 
we have data when badger trapping was 
legal, probably not over 150 and rarely 
over 50 badgers were caught annually in 
Illinois; the total number was not an 
appreciable percentage of the total catch 
of furbearers in the state. Their pelts 
being worth only about 75 cents each, 
badgers contributed little to the Lllinois 
fur income. 
Data are not sufficient to indicate much 
about changing numbers, but persons in 
the Illinois badger range commonly report 
that badgers are increasing. There is some 
indication that the range is being extend- 
ed, counties around the outer margin of 
the range having shown a catch only in 
recent years. 
BOBCAT 
Once undoubtedly present throughout 
Illinois, the bobcat disappeared rapidly as 
the country was settled, partly because it 
requires extensive stands of unpastured 
timber and partly because it is exciting 
and easily treed game. Generally, it dis- 
appeared most rapidly in the northeastern 
and mideastern portions of the. state. 
Kennicott (1855) reported it present 
sometime previous to 1855 in Cook Coun- 
ty. A warden in Jo Daviess County re- 
ported to S. A. Forbes by letter that 
short-tailed wildcats disappeared from that 
county about 1850. Wood (1910) re- 
ported that early settlers declared wild- 
cats were found in Champaign County 
between 1835 and 1840. He obtained the 
ItttNo1s NaTuRAL History SURVEY BULLETIN 
Vol. 22, Arta 
skull of one of a pair killed in Alexander 
County in 1908. 
Cory (1912) wrote, “It has lately been 
reported from Jo Daviess Co., Illinois, 
and Kennicott records it from Cook Co., 
although none has been observed in this 
vicinity for many years. There is a speci- 
men in the Northwestern University col- 
lection at Evanston, taken near Rock 
Island, Illinois, some years ago. In ex- 
treme southern Illinois I have trustworthy 
information that it still occurs in more or 
less numbers in Galletin, Pope, Alexan- 
der, Jackson and Randolph Counties. Mr. 
ie Gi Baker of Golconda, Pope Co., in- 
forms me that two Wild Cas were killed 
in that vicinity in the winter of 1907.” 
Forbes (1912), after making a state- 
wide checkup on the condition of wildlife, 
stated that “lynxes and wildcats” were re- 
ported in 14 counties, 7 of them in ex- 
treme southern Illinois. Examination of 
the wardens’ reports on which Forbes 
based his statement shows bobeats in 12 
YO DAVIESS STEPH BOONE| MSHENRY H 
1912 } 
\ 
\ 
IENSON | WINNEBAGO 
Yoo 
pate ie 
WHITE SIDE ak 
AENDALL 
cate oa 
a 
ie GN 
= a 
af 5 
i 2 
FFGHM 
anak 
le 
~ 
a eiiae TNE 
=u 7 
RANDOL ie MAMILTOM| 
a 
beso 
As JONNSON) POPE 
936 1912 
eR 
Fig. 17.—Recent specific records of bobcat 
in Illinois. Dates show counties in which bob- 
cats were reported for the year indicated. 
rhe 
nF 
@ RECENT RECORD 
