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Message: <blockquote data-quote="locustella" data-source="post: 3163606" data-attributes="member: 26257">Here:<a href="http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/6196/1/R%26D033.pdf" target="_blank">http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/6196/1/R&D033.pdf</a>and a little here:<a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/225695385_Morphological_diversity_of_the_red_squirrel_Sciurus_vulgaris_in_Ireland" target="_blank">http://www.researchgate.net/publication/225695385_Morphological_diversity_of_the_red_squirrel_Sciurus_vulgaris_in_Ireland</a>is about British red squirrels.The native subspecies is Sciurus vulgaris leucourus (Kerr 1792) with bleaching tail and ear tufts in summer, no dark individuals.However - it vanished from Scotland by 1840 (except Rothiemurchus pine woods)- later many introductions of red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris were made in England and Scotland:.- 1815, country of origin unknown.- 1910, S. vulgaris russus or fuscoater.- 1793, S. vulgaris vulgaris (from Scandinavia, but similar to Scotish (?)).- 1772, 1847, from England to Scotland.- 1939, Ainsdale National Nature Reserve, from Germany, probably squirrels in Lakeland are not indigenous.- and other introductions- 1900-1924 many red squirrels present again, but their race unknown  1902-1917 60,450 squirrels killed (they were treated like a pest)- 1876-1929 grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis introduced and red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris disappeared again from many areas (replaced by grey squirrel)Reasuming - most of red squirrels are imports from the continent, only ginger red squirrel, black red squirrel were not introduced. Only one black specimen from Austria was identified by the British Museum. Maybe this additionally makes worsen the competition with grey squirrels ?Sadly this paper does not support hypothesis, that British red squirrels were black. But they seem to be mostly introduced, like grey squirrels.It would be interesing to know, how red squirrels looked like in the Sherwood forest in Robin Hood times and earlier.I think that those partial reintroductions of red squirrels were positive events, like reintroduction of beaver which extinct locally completely. But they probably were selected on the basis of appearance people like.</blockquote>

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