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Path: utzoo!snell
From: snell@utzoo.UUCP (Richard Snell)
Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
Subject: Black Squirrels
Message-ID: <6287@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 23:41:17 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6287
Posted: Mon Jan 13 23:41:17 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 23:41:17 EST
References: <1936@pur-phy.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 22

The question is whether you have seen

 1. A squirrel which is a black morph individual of the species commonly
    known as grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

 2. A squirrel which is a melanistic individual of the species commonly
    known as fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) (there are a few such melanistic
    skins in museum collections but not many)

 3. A melanistic squirrel which is part of some species other than 1 or 2
    such as Red Squirrels (= Chicories for those out west) (Tamiasciurus
    hudsonicus) or any of the variations on the chipmunk theme.

Though #1 is most likely, could be #2 or even #3.  Nonchalanting either
squirrel or bird identification is the fast way to miss good TICKS!

And TICKS, MEGATICKS and CMF's is what every birder really cares about :-).
-- 
Name:   Richard Snell
Mail:   Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto
        Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:   {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!snell