[NatureNS] The Forgotten History of How Cities Almost Killed

Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2013 13:36:42 -0500
From: Fred Schueler <bckcdb@istar.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Cc: Richard Snell <rsnell@xplornet.com>,
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Quoting Rick Ballard <ideaphore@gmail.com>:

> Here is an interesting article from Atlantic Cities magazine. I didn't know
> that in the 1700's Grey Squirrels 'roamed in great herds' and that by the
> early 1800's were mostly gone from the cities.

* I wonder how much of this squirrel-transplantation there was in  
Canada? This could really screw up any analysis of the black/grey  
morph ratio in urban populations, and urban populations might have  
considerable distances into surrounding deforested countryside. Is  
there a known history of introductions into NS?

fred.
=============================================================

> The Forgotten History of How Cities Almost Killed the Common
> Squirrel<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/12/how-cities-almost-killed-common-squirrel/7908/>
>
> "If there's one thing that humans are good at, though, it's ridding the
> world of things. Luck began to sour for the squirrels in the early 1800s,
> when the growth of cities and the resulting deforestation ruined much of
> their natural habitat. The ones that weren't left homeless were blasted off
> of branches by urban hunters in search of a pelt or a hot meal - recipe
> books at the time abounded with squirrels all broiled, fried, roasted,
> fricasseed, and swimming in an oyster-and-cream "Kentucky
> Burgoo<http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmeats.html#burgoo>"
> that was the talk of the town on Derby Day.
> And so cities arrived at the point when a sighting of a lone squirrel could
> paralyze pedestrian traffic. "The idea that dozens of people would gather
> to see a squirrel says something about how unusual they were," says Benson.
> "
>
>
> --
> Rick Ballard
> Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada
>



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          Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm
Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills - http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm
Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/
          South Nation Basin Art & Science Book
          http://pinicola.ca/books/SNR_book.htm
     RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0
   on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W
    (613)258-3107 <bckcdb at istar.ca> http://pinicola.ca/
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