Chapter V: Part 5

Family OTARIIDAE--eared seals
Genus =Zalophus= Gill--Californian sea lions
_Zaluphus californianus_ (Lesson) California sea lion

Genus =Eumetopias= Gill--Steller sea lion
_Eumetopias jubata_ (Schreber) Steller sea lion

Genus =Callorhinus= Gray--Alaska fur seal
_Callorhinus ursinus cynocephalus_
(Walbaum) Alaska fur seal

Family PHOCIDAE--hair seals
Genus =Phoca= Linnaeus--hair seals
_Phoca vitulina richardii_ (Gray) hair seal

Order RODENTIA--rodents

Family SCIURIDAE--squirrels and allies
Genus =Tamias= Illiger--chipmunks
_Tamias minimus scrutator_ (Hall and }
Hatfield) } least chipmunk
_Tamias minimus grisescens_ (Howell) }
_Tamias amoenus caurinus_ (Merriam) }
_Tamias amoenus felix_ Rhoads }
_Tamias amoenus ludibundus_ (Hollister) }
_Tamias amoenus affinis_ Allen } yellow-pine chipmunk
_Tamias amoenus canicaudus_ (Merriam) }
_Tamias amoenus luteiventris_ Allen }
_Tamias ruficaudus simulans_ (Howell) red-tailed chipmunk
_Tamias townsendii townsendii_ Bachman }
_Tamias townsendii cooperi_ Baird } Townsend chipmunk

Genus =Marmota= Blumenbach--marmots
_Marmota monax petrensis_ Howell woodchuck
_Marmota flaviventris avara_ (Bangs) yellow-bellied marmot
_Marmota caligata cascadensis_ Howell hoary marmot
_Marmota olympus_ (Merriam) Olympic marmot

Genus =Citellus= Oken--ground squirrels
_Citellus townsendii townsendii_ (Bachman) Townsend ground
squirrel
_Citellus washingtoni_ Howell Washington ground
squirrel
_Citellus columbianus columbianus_ (Ord) }
_Citellus columbianus ruficaudus_ Howell } Columbian ground
squirrel
_Citellus beecheyi douglasii_
(Richardson) Beechey ground squirrel
_Citellus lateralis tescorum_ (Hollister) }
_Citellus lateralis connectens_ (Howell) } golden-mantled ground
_Citellus saturatus_ (Rhoads) } squirrel

Genus =Sciurus= Linnaeus--tree squirrels
_Sciurus griseus griseus_ Ord western gray squirrel
_Sciurus carolinensis hypophaeus_ Merriam eastern gray squirrel
_Sciurus niger_ Linnaeus, subsp.? fox squirrel

Genus =Tamiasciurus= Trouessart--red squirrels
_Tamiasciurus hudsonicus streatori_ }
(Allen) }
_Tamiasciurus hudsonicus richardsoni_ } red squirrel
(Bachman) }
_Tamiasciurus douglasii douglasii_ }
(Bachman) } Douglas squirrel

Genus =Glaucomys= Thomas--American flying squirrels
_Glaucomys sabrinus oregonensis_ }
(Bachman) }
_Glaucomys sabrinus bangsi_ (Rhoads) } northern flying
_Glaucomys sabrinus columbiensis_ Howell } squirrel
_Glaucomys sabrinus latipes_ Howell }
_Glaucomys sabrinus fuliginosus_ (Rhoads) }

Family HETEROMYIDAE--pocket mice, kangaroo mice and kangaroo rats
Genus =Perognathus= Weid--pocket mice
_Perognathus parvus parvus_ (Peale) } great basin pocket
_Perognathus parvus lordi_ (Gray) } mouse
_Perognathus parvus columbianus_ Merriam }

Genus =Dipodomys= Gray--kangaroo rats
_Dipodomys ordii columbianus_ (Merriam) Ord kangaroo rat

Family GEOMYIDAE--pocket gophers
Genus =Thomomys= Weid--smooth-toothed pocket gophers
_Thomomys talpoides devexus_ Hall and }
Dalquest }
_Thomomys talpoides columbianus_ Bailey }
_Thomomys talpoides aequalidens_ }
Dalquest }
_Thomomys talpoides wallowa_ Hall }
and Orr }
_Thomomys talpoides fuscus_ Merriam }
_Thomomys talpoides yakimensis_ Hall }
and Dalquest }
_Thomomys talpoides shawi_ Taylor }
_Thomomys talpoides immunis_ Hall and }
Dalquest } northern pocket
_Thomomys talpoides limosus_ Merriam } gopher
_Thomomys talpoides douglasii_ }
(Richardson) }
_Thomomys talpoides glacialis_ Dalquest }
and Scheffer }
_Thomomys talpoides tacomensis_ Taylor }
_Thomomys talpoides pugetensis_ Dalquest }
and Scheffer }
_Thomomys talpoides tumuli_ Dalquest }
and Scheffer }
_Thomomys talpoides yelmensis_ Merriam }
_Thomomys talpoides couchi_ Goldman }
_Thomomys talpoides melanops_ Merriam }

Family CASTORIDAE--beavers
Genus =Castor= Linnaeus--beavers
_Castor canadensis leucodonta_ Gray }
_Castor canadensis idoneus_ Jewett and } beaver
Hall }

Family MURIDAE--rats and mice
Genus =Onychomys= Baird--grasshopper mice
_Onychomys leucogaster fuscogriseus_ } northern grasshopper
Anthony } mouse

Genus =Reithrodontomys= Giglioli--American harvest mice
_Reithrodontomys megalotis megalotis_ } western harvest
(Baird) } mouse

Genus =Peromyscus= Gloger--white-footed mice
_Peromyscus maniculatus oreas_ Bangs }
_Peromyscus maniculatus hollisteri_ }
Osgood }
_Peromyscus maniculatus austerus_ (Baird) }
_Peromyscus maniculatus rubidus_ Osgood } deer mouse
_Peromyscus maniculatus gambelii_ (Baird) }
_Peromyscus maniculatus artemisiae_ }
(Rhoads) }

Genus =Neotoma= Say and Ord--wood rats
_Neotoma cinerea occidentalis_ Baird } bushy-tailed wood rat
_Neotoma cinerea alticola_ Hooper }

Genus =Synaptomys= Baird--lemming mice
_Synaptomys borealis wrangeli_ Merriam northern lemming mouse

Genus =Phenacomys= Merriam--heather voles and tree mice
_Phenacomys intermedius intermedius_ }
Merriam } heather vole
_Phenacomys intermedius oramontis_ }
Rhoads }

Genus =Clethrionomys= Tilesius--red-backed mice
_Clethrionomys gapperi saturatus_ }
(Rhoads) }
_Clethrionomys gapperi idahoensis_ }
(Merriam) } Gapper red-backed
_Clethrionomys gapperi cascadensis_ } mouse
Booth }
_Clethrionomys gapperi nivarius_ }
(Bailey) }
_Clethrionomys californicus } California red-backed
occidentalis_ (Merriam) } mouse

Genus =Microtus= Schrank--meadow mice
_Microtus pennsylvanicus funebris_ Dale } Pennsylvania meadow
_Microtus pennsylvanicus kincaidi_ } mouse
Dalquest }
_Microtus montanus nanus_ (Merriam) } montane meadow
_Microtus montanus canescens_ Bailey } mouse
_Microtus townsendii townsendii_ }
(Bachman) } Townsend meadow
_Microtus townsendii pugeti_ Dalquest } mouse
_Microtus longicaudus halli_ Ellerman } long-tailed meadow
_Microtus longicaudus macrurus_ Merriam } mouse
_Microtus richardsoni arvicoloides_ }
(Rhoads) } water rat
_Microtus richardsoni macropus_ (Merriam) }
_Microtus oregoni oregoni_ (Bachman) creeping mouse

Genus =Lagurus= Gloger--short-tailed voles
_Lagurus curtatus pauperrimus_ (Cooper) sagebrush vole

Genus =Ondatra= Link--muskrat
_Ondatra zibethicus osoyoosensis_ (Lord) }
_Ondatra zibethicus occipitalis_ (Elliot) } muskrat

Genus =Rattus= Fischer--Old World rats
_Rattus rattus rattus_ (Linnaeus) } roof rat
_Rattus rattus alexandrinus_ (Geoffroy) }
_Rattus norvegicus norvegicus_ (Erxleben) Norway rat

Genus =Mus= Linnaeus--house mice
_Mus musculus_ Linnaeus, subsp.? house mouse

Family APLONTIDAE--mountain beaver
Genus =Aplodontia= Richardson--mountain beaver
_Aplodontia rufa rufa_ (Rafinesque) }
_Aplodontia rufa rainieri_ Merriam } mountain beaver

Family DIPODIDAE--jumping mice and allies
Genus =Zapus= Coues--jumping mice
_Zapus princeps trinotatus_ Rhoads }
_Zapus princeps kootenayensis_ Anderson } big jumping mouse
_Zapus princeps idahoensis_ Davis }
_Zapus princeps oregonus_ Preble }

Family ERETHIZONTIDAE--American porcupines
Genus =Erethizon= Cuvier--North American porcupine
_Erethizon dorsatum epixanthum_ Brandt } porcupine
_Erethizon dorsatum nigrescens_ Allen }

Family CHINCHILLIDAE Bennett--chinchillas and allies
Genus =Myocastor= Kerr--nutria
_Myocastor coypus_ (Molina), subsp.? nutria

Order LAGOMORPHA--pikas, hares and rabbits

Family OCHOTONIDAE--pikas
Genus =Ochotona= Link--pikas
_Ochotona princeps cuppes_ Bangs }
_Ochotona princeps fenisex_ Osgood } pika
_Ochotona princeps brunnescens_ Howell }

Family LEPORIDAE--hares and rabbits
Genus =Lepus= Linnaeus--hares
_Lepus townsendii townsendii_ Bachman white-tailed jack
rabbit
_Lepus americanus washingtonii_ Baird }
_Lepus americanus cascadensis_ Nelson } snowshoe rabbit
_Lepus americanus pineus_ Dalquest }
_Lepus americanus columbiensis_ Rhoads }
_Lepus californicus deserticola_ Mearns black-tailed jack
rabbit

Genus =Sylvilagus= Gray--cottontails and allies
_Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii_ (Bachman) Nuttall cottontail
_Sylvilagus floridanus_ (Allen), subsp.? Florida cottontail
_Sylvilagus idahoensis_ (Merriam) pigmy rabbit

Order ARTIODACTYLA--even-toed ungulates

Family CERVIDAE--deer and allies
Genus =Cervus= Linnaeus--American elk or wapiti
_Cervus canadensis roosevelti_ Merriam } elk or wapiti
_Cervus canadensis nelsoni_ Bailey }

Genus =Odocoileus= Rafinesque--northern deer
_Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus_ Bailey }
_Odocoileus virginianus leucurus_ } white-tailed deer
(Douglas) }
_Odocoileus hemionus hemionus_ }
(Rafinesque) } mule deer or
_Odocoileus hemionus columbianus_ } black-tailed deer
(Richardson) }

Genus =Alce= Gray--Moose and Old-World elk
_Alce americana shirasi_ Nelson moose

Genus =Rangifer= Hamilton-Smith--reindeer and caribou
_Rangifer arcticus montanus_ Seton-Thompson caribou

Family BOVIDAE--cattle, sheep, goats and allies
Genus =Bison= Hamilton-Smith--bison
_Bison bison oregonus_ Bailey bison

Genus =Ovis= Linnaeus--sheep
_Ovis canadensis canadensis_ Shaw } mountain sheep
_Ovis canadensis californiana_ Douglas }

Genus =Oreamnos= Rafinesque--mountain goat
_Oreamnos americanus americanus_ } mountain goat
(Blainville) }
_Oreamnos americanus missoulae_ Allen }

Order CETACEA--whales and porpoises

Family ZIPHIIDAE--beaked whales
Genus =Berardius= Duvernoy--beaked whales
_Berardius bairdii_ Stejneger Baird beaked whale

Genus =Mesoplodon= Gervais--beaked whales
_Mesoplodon stejnegeri_ True Stejneger beaked whale

Family DELPHINIDAE--porpoises
Genus =Delphinus= Linnaeus--dolphins
_Delphinus bairdii_ Dall Baird porpoise

Genus =Lissodelphis= Gloger--right-whale porpoises
_Lissodelphis borealis_ (Peale) } northern right-whale
} porpoise

Genus =Lagenorhynchus= Gray--striped porpoises
_Lagenorhynchus obliquidens_ Gill striped porpoise

Genus =Grampus= Gray--killer whales
_Grampus rectipinna_ (Cope) Pacific killer

Genus =Grampidelphis= Iredale and Troughton
_Grampidelphis griseus_ (Cuvier) grampus

Genus =Globicelphalus= Hamilton--blackfishes
_Globicephalus scammonii_ (Cope) blackfish

Genus =Phocoena= Cuvier--harbor porpoises
_Phocoena vomerina_ (Gill) harbor porpoise

Genus =Phocoenoides= Andrews--Dall porpoises
_Phocoenoides dalli_ (True) Dall porpoise

Family PHYSETERIDAE--sperm whales
Genus =Physeter= Linnaeus--sperm whale
_Physeter catodon_ Linnaeus sperm whale

Family KOGIIDAE--pigmy sperm whale
Genus =Kogia= Gray--pigmy sperm whale
_Kogia breviceps_ (Blainville) pigmy sperm whale

Family RHACHIANECTIDAE--gray whale
Genus =Rhachianectes= Cope--gray whale
_Rhachianectes glaucus_ (Cope) gray whale

Family BALAENOPTERIDAE--finback whales
Genus =Balaenoptera= Lacépède--finback whales
_Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linnaeus) finback whale
_Balaenoptera borealis_ Lesson Pollack whale
_Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ Lacépède pike whale

Genus =Sibbaldus= Gray--blue whale
_Sibbaldus musculus_ (Linnaeus) blue whale

Genus =Megaptera= Gray--humpbacked whales
_Megaptera novaeangliae_ (Borowski) humpback whale

Family BALAENIDAE--baleen whales
Genus =Eubalaena= Gray--baleen whales
_Eubalaena sieboldii_ (Gray) Pacific right whale

ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES

=Didelphis virginiana virginiana= Kerr

Opossum

_Didelphis virginiana_ Kerr. Anim. Kingd., p. 193, 1792.

_Type locality._--Virginia

_Description._--Slightly smaller than a house cat; body in older animals heavy and fat; tail long, naked, scaled and prehensile. Ears large, naked and black with white tips; muzzle elongate and pointed; color of fur variable; overhair usually white and underfur white tipped with black; guard hairs long and coarse but underfur soft and dense; forefoot with opposable thumb; females with abdominal pouch.

_Remarks._--The opossum has been introduced from the eastern United States into California and Oregon and has become well established in those states. Recent records from Clear Lake, Skagit County, and South Bend, Pacific County, indicate that the opossum is now resident in Washington and it may be expected to increase and spread (Scheffer, 1943). The animals may also enter the area about Walla Walla from Oregon. The source of the opossums which have appeared in Washington is not yet known.

Of this animal, Dr. Carl Hartman (1923: 347) has written:

"In the popular mind, the generation of no animal is so shrouded in mystery as that of the opossum. Throughout the country, among both whites and negroes, deeply rooted tradition has it that the opossum copulates through the nose and that the female blows the fruit of conception into the pouch. Other myths relating to details of the reproductive process in this species are current among the people.

"The growth of such legends need not surprise one, however, for the early birth of the embryos and the use of the pouch as an incubator certainly challenge the imagination. These phenomena attract the attention because they are unique, differing from the familiar method of rearing the young obtaining among the higher mammals, including man. Familiarity breeds contempt; the ordinary ceases to be marvelous. Thus on account of its rareness and its 'different' character the opossum, our only marsupial, figures in the folklore to a prominent degree."

=Neurotrichus gibbsii=

Gibbs shrew-mole

_Description._--The shrew-mole is tiny, possessing a head and body 2-1/2 to 3 inches long and a tail about 1-1/2 inches in length. The body is relatively stout but is less cylindrical than that of _Scapanus_. The eyes are nearly buried in the fur. The nose is long and pointed. The legs are short and the forefeet wide and powerful. The tail is thick, constricted at the base and clothed with short, stiff bristles. The fur is short and posteriorly directed. In color the shrew-mole is dark slate, almost black.

_Remarks._--Shrew-moles inhabit moist habitats from sea level to 8,000 feet. They are burrowing mammals and prefer to live in soft earth, free of sod. In the lowlands of western Washington, shrew-moles are most abundant in damp, shady ravines where the vegetation includes deciduous trees and dense underbrush with but little grass. In the mountains, shrew-moles are usually found near streams or rock slides, where the larger annuals grow densely on soil that is deep, soft, and free of turf. Vertically they range from the Humid Transition Life-zone through the Canadian, and well into the Hudsonian Life-zone.

Shrew-moles are both diurnal and nocturnal. They rest or sleep periodically, the length of their rest or sleep being longer when much food is eaten, and the intervals between their periods of rest or sleep is longer when less food is eaten. Owls and snakes appear to be their principal enemies. Predatory mammals eat some shrew-moles, and probably kill many that they do not eat. Shrew-moles are completely blind, and their long, prehensile nose guides all their activity. Their ordinary movements on the surface of the ground are slow and cautious. When frightened they break into a scuttling rush which ends beneath a leaf or bit of bark where the animal becomes motionless. Shrew-moles, on the surface of the ground, make considerable noise. They construct molelike burrows, but these are not as extensive or complicated as those of moles. The shrew-mole hunts for food in shallow trenches that it makes just under the layer of dead leaves and vegetable debris that covers the ground in their habitat. The food of the shrew-moles includes earthworms, isopods, insect larvae, soft-bodied insects, and other animal matter. Some vegetable matter is eaten.

Breeding takes place at all seasons of the year, save perhaps in December and January. Embryos vary from one to four. The nest of a shrew-mole at Seattle, King County, consisted of a handful of damp leaves in a cavity of a rotten, punky, alder stump. The nest contained four half-grown young.

=Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii= (Baird)

_Urotrichus gibbsii_ Baird, Mamm. N. Amer., p. 76, 1857.

_Neurotrichus [sic] gibbsii_ Günther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pl.
42, 1880.

_Neurotrichus Gibbsii_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1884):607,
1885.

_Neurotrichus gibbsii_ Bryant, Zoe. 1:359, February, 1891.

_Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:11, December 31, 1912.

_Type._--Obtained at Naches Pass, 4,500 ft., Pierce County,
Washington, by G. Gibbs on July 15, 1854 (see Dalquest and Burgner,
1941); type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Size relatively large; tail relatively long;
foreclaws straight on ventral surface.

_Measurements._--Two females from Tye, 4,000 ft., Stevens Pass,
King County, average: total length, 121.5; length of tail, 45;
length of hind foot, 18.

_Distribution._--The Cascade Mountains, from British Columbia
south, and Destruction Island, Jefferson County. Records of
occurrence are Baker Lake (J. M. E.), Tye (M. V. Z.), and Mount
Rainier (Mount Rainier Ntl. Park Mus.)

_Remarks._--Shrew-moles are present on Destruction Island, a small island in the Pacific off the coast of Jefferson County. These moles are large, and are like _gibbsii_. It is thought, however, that this resemblance is due to convergent evolution rather than a once-continuous range with _gibbsii_. It is significant that a shrew (_Sorex trowbridgii destructioni_), the only other native land mammal on the island, differs from its mainland counterpart in much the same way as does _Neurotrichus g. gibbsii_ from _Neurotrichus g. minor_.

=Neurotrichus gibbsii minor= Dalquest and Burgner

_Neurotrichus gibbsii_ minor Dalquest and Burgner, Murrelet, 22:12,
April 30, 1941.

_Type._--Obtained on the University of Washington Campus, Seattle,
King County, Washington, by W. W. Dalquest on May 19, 1940; type in
the Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial characters._--Size small; tail short; foreclaws light and
weak as compared to those of _gibbsii_, with ventral surfaces
curved.

_Measurements._--Eighty-five specimens (males and females) from
Seattle, King County, average: total length, 107.0; length of
tail, 35.3; length of hind foot, 15.0.

_Distribution._--The lowlands of western Washington. Marginal
records are: Mt. Vernon (Jackson, 1915: 97), Cottage Lake (W.W.D.)
and Yacolt (M. V.Z.).

Genus =Scapanus= Pomel

Moles

Moles are of stocky build and have cylindrical, rounded bodies. The eyes are tiny, nearly concealed in the fur. They have no external ears. The legs are short; the forefeet wide, spadelike, and armed with powerful claws. The fur is erect, not posteriorly directed. The color of the fur is deep bluish or brownish slate. The short, nearly naked tail is pale pink or whitish. Moles of this genus are found only along the Pacific Coast of North America from southern Canada south into Baja California.

=Scapanus townsendii= (Bachman)

Townsend mole

_Scalops townsendii_ Bachman. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 8
(pt. 1):58, 1839.

_Scapanus tow[n]sendii_ Pomel. Arch. Sci. Phys. Nat., Geneva, 9
(ser. 4):247, 1848.

_Scapanus Townsendii_ True. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1881):607,
1885.

_Type._--Probably obtained at Fort Vancouver. Clark County.
Washington, by J. K. Townsend. A cotype was obtained on May 9.
1835; type in Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

_Measurements._--Three males and 6 females from southwestern
Washington average, respectively: total length 221, 214; length of
tail 51, 46; hind foot 28.3, 26; weight 147, 117 grams.

_Distribution._--The lowlands of western Washington. Marginal
occurrences are: Sauk (Jackson. 1915: 61); Skykomish (Jackson,
1915: 61) and Yacolt (M.V.Z.).

_Remarks._--_Scapanus townsendii_ occurs only in a narrow belt extending from southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California. It seems to prefer a generally damper habitat than the smaller-sized coast mole, although both species are sometimes found in the same locality. The larger mole is abundant in the meadows on the flood plains of rivers at low elevations, and on the glacial outwash prairies. It is often numerous in the fir forests, although its workings and mounds are less conspicuous there. The bodies of nine drowned individuals were found in a well by an old cabin in dense fir forest near Duvall, King County. Townsend moles occasionally occur in the Canadian Life-zone, as at Staircase on the north side of Lake Cushman in Mason County where workings were observed, but most records are from the Humid division of the Transition Life-zone.

The Townsend mole is mainly nocturnal. If ridges of its runways are crushed down, they usually remain so throughout the day and are rebuilt the following night. Only about ten per cent of the ridges that were crushed were rebuilt in the daytime, and most of these were repaired in the early morning. The species is almost completely subterranean. Some individuals are crushed on highways by cars, showing that these moles occasionally travel on the surface of the ground.

Townsend moles throw up numerous mounds, each usually containing about a cubic foot of earth. The mounds commonly are built just about as far apart as a man can step. The general direction as well as the twists and turns of a mole's burrow can usually be determined from the mounds. Townsend moles also construct ridges on the surface of the ground by pushing up sod in building a tunnel just below the grass roots. Smaller ridges are less commonly made by coast moles. More extensive tunnels, constructed deeper in the earth, serve as living quarters.

According to Wight (1928: 24), Scheffer (1922: 11) and Moore (1933: 39), the food of this large mole includes earthworms and ground-inhabiting insects, insect larvae, spiders, centipedes, flesh, and small amounts of soft vegetation. Scheffer (1922: 10) found that the large mole breeds in February and produces from two to four young at a litter, with an average of three.

=Scapanus orarius=

Coast mole

_Description._--The coast mole is almost identical with the larger mole in form of body but is smaller. Head and body are about 5-1/4 and tail about 1-1/2 inches in length.

The coast mole occupies all of the territory inhabited by the Townsend mole and ranges slightly farther northward, southward and eastward. However it does not range east of the boundaries of the three Pacific Coast states or British Columbia.

The mounds and workings of the coast mole are smaller than those of the Townsend mole and consequently are less noticed. It seems less prone to make numerous mounds, a pace apart, than the larger mole, and burrows tend to extend deeper in the ground. Upthrust ridges are less commonly built by _orarius_ than by _townsendii_.

Jackson (1915: 62) mentions the possibility of ecologic differences between _orarius_ and _townsendii_. There are some differences in habitat and habits. The coast mole seems to live deeper in the ground, prefers better drained soil, and is less colonial than the Townsend mole. These are average differences, however, and the two species commonly occur together. Another difference is that the larger mole rarely enters the dense deciduous woods, such as the brush-grown alder and dogwood jungles along the stream valleys. I have taken the coast mole in such localities, and often have found their workings there. The surface of a nearby meadow may be dotted with mounds of both species, but the larger mole seems not to enter ground that is thickly grown with brush. The coast mole ascends to greater altitudes in the Cascade Mountains than does the Townsend mole.

Like the larger mole the coast mole feeds principally on earthworms and insects (Moore, 1933: 38). On September 29, 1939, in a ravine at Seattle, in two baited traps set six inches apart, a creeping mouse (_Microtus oregoni_) and a coast mole were found. The mouse had come to the bait and been caught. The mole had seemingly emerged from the ground through a tunnel a foot away and had been attracted to the body of the mouse. It had eaten an area a half inch in diameter and three-quarters of an inch deep into the body of the mouse just behind the shoulder, when in shifting its position it had become caught in the unsprung trap behind it. When found the mole lay dead with its nose inside the body of the mouse and its back broken. This is the only case known to me of a coast mole appearing voluntarily on the surface of the ground. Never have I found coast moles crushed on the highway; several Townsend moles so killed have been found.

The coast mole seems to breed very early in the spring. Males with swollen testes are found late in January. The young usually number four and are born in late March or early April. The breeding season seems to be the same as that of _townsendii_ but the number of young to a litter may average slightly greater.

=Scapanus orarius orarius= True

_Scapanus orarius_ True. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 19:52, December 21,
1896.

_Scapanus orarius orarius_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 38:61,
September 30, 1915.

_Type._--Obtained at Shoalwater (= Willapa) Bay, Pacific County,
Washington, by J. G. Cooper on August 30, 1855; type in United
States National Museum.

_Racial Characters._--Color dark bluish; frontal region of skull
not inflated.

_Measurements._--Eight males and two females from Seattle, King
County, average, respectively: total length 159, 155; length of
tail 33, 31; hind foot 20.7, 20.5; weight 58.5, 55.8.

_Distribution._--Western Washington. Marginal occurrences are:
Skykomish (B.S.C.), Merritt (B.S.C.), Wenatchee (B.S.C.), Lester
(Jackson, 1915: 64) and Yacolt (M.V.Z.).

=Scapanus orarius yakimensis= Dalquest and Scheffer

_Scapanus orarius yakimensis_ Dalquest and Scheffer, Murrelet,
25:27, September 19, 1944.

_Type._--Obtained 3/4 mile north of Union Gap, Yakima County,
Washington, by J. A. Gray, Jr., on July 3, 1941; type in Museum of
Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial Characters._--Color pale, grayish; skull narrow with
inflated frontal region.

_Measurements._--Six specimens (males and females) from Selah,
Yakima County, average: total length 164; length of tail 37;
length of hind foot 21.5. The type specimen weighed 58 grams.

_Distribution._--The Yakima Valley area; recorded from the type
locality northwestward to Easton (B.S.C.).

=Scapanus orarius schefferi= Jackson

_Scapanus orarius schefferi_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 38:63,
September 30, 1915.

_Type._--Obtained at Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington,
by T. H. Scheffer on August 8, 1914; type in United States National
Museum.

_Racial Characters._--Large size; pale color; large, wide skull
with inflated frontal area.

_Measurements._--Six topotypes average: total length 159; length
of tail 35; hind foot 21.5.

_Distribution._--Southeastern Washington; recorded from Fort Walla
Walla (Jackson, 1915: 64), Walla Walla (Jackson, 1915: 64) and
Dayton (M.V.Z.).

Genus =Sorex= Linnaeus

Long-tailed shrews

Shrews have tiny eyes, almost concealed in the fur. The body is slim; the nose elongate and pointed. The legs are short and the feet small and weak. The fur is short but soft and posteriorly directed. The cinereous shrew, for example, is about 4 inches in length, of which the tail comprises 1-3/4 inches. The upper parts are dark grayish brown and the underparts dull gray.

Shrews of the genus _Sorex_ are cosmopolitan in distribution. In North America they range from the arctic south to Central America. Three subgenera are recognized by Jackson (1928: 27), all three of which are represented in the state of Washington. The twelve subspecies present occupy numerous habitats, and their ranges include almost all of the state.

Jackson pointed out (1928: 1) that "No other group of American mammals having a wide distribution, and in many localities an abundance of individuals, is so little known to the nonprofessional mammalogist as the long-tailed shrews." In Washington, especially in the coastal area of western Washington, shrews are widespread and abundant in many habitats. In some places they are the most common mammal present. In spite of this their presence is often unsuspected by persons that are otherwise alert to the animal life around them. This is even more surprising when one takes into account the facts that long-tailed shrews are diurnal as well as nocturnal and are less apt to detect the presence of man than are most other species of mammals.

An important factor making long-tailed shrews inconspicuous is their small size, and contributing factors include their rapid movements and dull colors. On several occasions the writer, after seeing a long-tailed shrew vanish soundlessly under a log or into a patch of dead leaves, was left wondering if one actually had been seen or if instead his imagination had conjured up an animal from a dust mote or wind-blown leaf.

The environment of the long-tailed shrews, except for the water shrews, is the zone at the very surface of the earth, just beneath the layer of moss, grass, dead leaves, and decaying vegetation. The removal of the covering vegetative layer reveals a maze of tiny tunnels, the branchings and complexities of which are infinite. Tiny traps baited with oats or meat and set in these runways catch the long-tailed shrews that inhabit them.

The food of long-tailed shrews is varied. It is principally soft-bodied insects, insect pupae, and earthworms. At times a considerable quantity of soft vegetation and some seeds are eaten. Recent studies (Moore, 1940: 1942) have shown that by destroying seeds some shrews may adversely affect the reforestation of some coniferous trees. Shrews readily eat meat, and often destroy the small mammals, including other shrews, taken in the mammal collector's traps.

Hamilton (1940: 485) found that in one species of long-tailed shrew in the United States individuals rarely lived more than one year. This seems not to be true of at least some of the species found in Washington.

Parasites, internal or external, are not commonly found on long-tailed shrews. They are regularly eaten by owls and snakes, but most carnivorous mammals, though they readily kill them, rarely eat them.

=Sorex cinereus= Kerr

Cinereous shrew

The cinereous shrew ranges over most of Alaska, Canada and the northern half of the United States. A number of subspecies have been described, of which two have been reported from Washington. The cinereous shrew is of medium size and difficult to distinguish from the dusky and wandering shrews, especially in eastern Washington, without studying the skulls. In _cinereus_ the fourth unicuspid tooth is smaller than the third; in _vagrans_ and _obscurus_ it is larger. The relatively narrow rostrum of _cinereus_ also serves to separate it from the other two species.

The cinereous shrew seems to be less restricted to the vicinity of streams and marshes than _Sorex vagrans_, resembling _Sorex obscurus_ and _Sorex trowbridgii_ in this respect. In Washington it seems to be rare and has not been taken by the writer. Published records for _Sorex c. cinereus_ indicate that this race is, in Washington, confined to mountainous areas. The coastal race, _streatori_, seems to be confined to the humid area.

=Sorex cinereus cinereus= Kerr

_Sorex arcticus cinereus_ Kerr. Anim. Kingd., p. 206, 1792.

_Sorex cinereus cinereus_ Jackson. Jour. Mamm., 6: 56, February 9,
1925.

_Type._--None. Name based on the account of a shrew seen at Fort
Severn, Canada, by J. R. Forster in 1772.

_Racial characters._--Small size and pale color.

_Measurements._--Seven males and 8 females from Indian Point Lake,
British Columbia, average, respectively: total length 99, 95;
length of tail 43.5, 42.2; hind foot 12.7, 12.3.

_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington (Metaline and Loon Lake,
Jackson, 1928: 49) and the Cascades from Whatcom Pass (Jackson,
1928: 55) southward to Conrad Meadows (Jackson, 1928: 49). There
is a specimen in the collection of the California Academy of
Sciences, from Mt. Rainier.

_Remarks._--This is the most wide-ranging subspecies of shrew, being recorded from Alaska, 10 Canadian provinces and 26 states (Jackson, 1928: 46-50). In the more northern and eastern parts of its range it is sometimes the commonest shrew.

=Sorex cinereus streatori= Merriam

_Sorex personatus streatori_ Merriam. N. Amer. Fauna, 10:62,
December 31. 1895.

_Sorex cinereus streatori_ Jackson. Jour. Mamm., 6:56. February 9,
1925.

_Type._--Obtained at Yakutat, Alaska, by C. P. Streator on July 9,
1895; type in the United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Larger and darker than _Sorex cinereus
cinereus_.

_Measurements._--Five females from Alta Lake, British Columbia,
average: total length 103; length of tail 45; hind foot 12.5.

_Distribution._--The western part of the northern Cascades
(Glacier, Jackson, 1928: 55) and the Olympic Peninsula (Neah Bay
south to Cedarville, Jackson, 1928: 55).

_Remarks._--This shrew seems to occupy the same range as _Sorex obscurus setosus_ but is rare where _obscurus_ is common.

=Sorex merriami merriami= Dobson

Merriam shrew

_Sorex merriami_ Dobson. Monogr. Insectivora, pt. 3, fasc. 1, pl.
23, fig. 6, May, 1890.

_Sorex merriami merriami_ Benson and Bond. Jour. Mamm., 20: 348,
August 14, 1939.

_Type._--Obtained on Little Bighorn River, about a mile and a half
above Fort Custer, Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, by Charles E.
Bendire on December 26, 1884; type in United States National
Museum.

_Measurements._--Of type: total length 90; length of tail 35; hind
foot 11.5 (after Jackson, 1928: 80).

_Distribution._--A single specimen of this rare shrew is known
from Washington. Jackson (1928: 81) states that it "was collected
by George G. Cantwell, November 18, 1919, at the entrance to an
old badger digging on top of a 'high bunch grass hill' at Starbuck
(altitude 645 feet), Columbia County, Wash."

_Description._--Similar to _Sorex cinereus_ but upper parts pale grayish and underparts white.

The Merriam shrew has been recorded from but a few localities in the western United States. It is one of the rarest of the small mammals known to occur in North America. All the known specimens have been found in desert areas.

=Sorex trowbridgii= Baird

Trowbridge shrew

_Description._--The Trowbridge shrew closely resembles the cinereous shrew in body form but possesses a longer tail. The head and body of adults measure about 2-1/4 inches and the tail about 2 inches. The Trowbridge shrew may be separated from all other small shrews that occur in Washington by its dark bluish upper parts and bluish or slaty underparts. The tail is distinctly bicolor.

Trowbridge shrews occur from southern British Columbia south to central California. Their distribution, to the south, is more extensive than that of many members of the Pacific Coastal Fauna. They are forest animals, ranging widely over the dry ground beneath the fir forest, where they are usually the only shrews present. They are abundant in ravines and in some swampy woods when other shrews are absent, but they avoid open meadows or marshes. Vertically, they occur from the humid division of the Transition Life-zone to the Hudsonian Life-zone.

These little shrews do not live well in captivity and I have learned relatively little concerning their habits from live specimens. They seem to be slower-moving and less aggressive than the wandering shrew. Population studies showed that the Trowbridge shrew is unable to compete with the wandering shrew in ravine habitats (Dalquest, 1941A: 173). The principal food of the Trowbridge shrew includes soft-bodied insects and insect pupae.

Moore (1942) has shown that shrews eat the seeds of the Douglas fir and may be a serious check on the reproduction of this important tree. The Trowbridge shrew is the most abundant shrew in the fir forests and probably constitutes the principal shrew that might be classed as a pest.

A specimen containing 4 embryos was taken near Shelton, Mason County, on April 23, 1937. Males with enlarged, greenish testes were taken in April of 1938, 1939 and 1940. Specimens obtained in other months showed no indications of breeding.

=Sorex trowbridgii trowbridgii= Baird

_Sorex trowbridgii_ Baird, Rept. Pacific R. R. Survey, 8 (pt.
1):13, 1857.

_Type._--Two cotypes were obtained at Astoria, Clatsop County,
Oregon. The skin of one (the lectotype) was entered in the U. S.
National Museum catalogue in July, 1855, and the skull in January,
1857. The other was obtained by J. Wayne on July 10, 1855.

_Racial characters._--Small size and narrow skull.

_Measurements._--The average measurements of 38 adults from King
County, Washington, are: total length 115.3; length of tail 54.4;
hind foot 13.4.

_Distribution._--Forested areas from the Pacific Coast eastward
through the Cascades to Stehekin (Jackson, 1928: 96), 2 mi. S.
Blewitt Pass (Jackson, 1928: 96) and Satus Pass (M.V.Z.).

=Sorex trowbridgii destructioni= Scheffer and Dalquest

_Sorex trowbridgii destructioni_ Scheffer and Dalquest, Jour.
Mamm., 23:334, August 13, 1942.

_Type._--Obtained on Destruction Island, Jefferson County,
Washington, by V. B. Scheffer on April 22, 1941; type in United
States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Large size and wide skull.

_Measurements._--Thirty topotypes average: total length 122.5;
length of tail 56.7; hind foot 14.3; weight 7.5 grams.

_Distribution._--Known only from Destruction Island, 35 acres in
area, lying 4 miles off the Washington Coast.

=Sorex vagrans= Baird

Wandering shrew

_Description._--This species closely resembles the cinereous shrew in body form. Its head and body measure about 2-1/4 inches; the tail slightly less than 2 inches. In summer the upper parts are reddish brown and the underparts gray tinged with brownish. In winter the upper parts are more dusky.

Several races of the wandering shrew range over western North America from southwestern British Columbia south to southern Mexico. Two races occur in the state of Washington.

Marshy areas and damp places are the habitat of the wandering shrew. Cattail and tule marshes, sphagnum bogs, and meadows are favored. They frequent streams through forests but rarely are taken in places away from water. On some of the San Juan Islands, wandering shrews were found along the beaches where they were feeding on the amphipods that live in the dead seaweed and litter at the high tide line. In a favorable habitat, wandering shrews may be the most abundant mammal present. Specimens are occasionally taken in 90 per cent or more of a mammal collector's traps.

The preference of the wandering shrew for damp areas makes it more or less independent of life-zones, for marshy areas, whether in Transition, Canadian, or Upper Sonoran life-zones, present comparable ecological conditions.

Broadbrooks (1939: 65) found that captives taken at Seattle ate rolled oats, apple, fresh or cooked meat, sow bugs, centipedes, earthworms, frogs (_Hyla regilla_), a salamander (_Plethodon vehiculum_), and small, black slugs (_Arean arean_). Wandering shrews proved incapable of destroying snails (_Helisoma occidentalis_) and large slugs. The captive shrews kept by Broadbrooks ate an average of 1.3 times their own weight in food each day.

The wandering shrew changes from winter to summer pelage in a few days, seemingly in the second week of October (Dalquest, 1944: 147). The spring molt occurs rapidly but perhaps at a less regular date. Rarely a midsummer molt occurs.

The earliest evidence of breeding in a wandering shrew was discovered on January 27, 1937. Most adult females taken in February, March, April and May were pregnant. Embryos were less often found in summer and fall, but one pregnant female was taken in November. Embryos varied in number from 3 to 8 with an average of six.

=Sorex vagrans vagrans= Baird

_Sorex vagrans_ Baird, Rept. Pacific R. R. Survey, 8 (pt. 1):15,
1857.

_Sorex suckleyi_ Baird, Rept. Pacific R. R. Survey, 8 (pt. 1):18,
1857 (type from Steilacoom Pierce County, Washington).

_Type._--Obtained at Willapa Bay [Shoalwater Bay], Pacific County,
Washington, by J. G. Cooper; entered in U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue
on October 23, 1856.

_Racial characters._--Dark color.

_Measurements._--Twenty-five males and 25 females from Seattle,
King County, average, respectively: total length 110.5, 107;
length of tail 44.6, 45; hind foot 12.4, 12.4.

_Distribution._--This is the common marsh shrew of western
Washington and occurs from the Pacific Ocean east to the Cascades
at Lake Keechelus (W.S.M.) and 15 mi. NW White Salmon (Jackson,
1928: 106).

=Sorex vagrans monticola= Merriam

_Sorex monticolus_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 3:43, September 11,
1896.

_Sorex vagrans monticola_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 10:69, December
31, 1895.

_Type._--Obtained on San Francisco Mountain, 1150 ft. altitude,
Coconino County, Arizona, by C. H. Merriam and V. Bailey on August
28, 1889; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Pale color.

_Measurements._--Five males and 5 females from Selah, Yakima
County, average, respectively: total length 100, 98.4; length of
tail 40.6, 39.2; hind foot 12.2, 12.

_Distribution._--Eastern Washington. The range of this shrew
extends west to Bauerman Ridge (Jackson, 1928: 113), Merritt
(W.W.D.) and Maryhill (M.V.Z.).

_Remarks._--A series of shrews from Moses Lake, Grant County,
differs from _monticola_ in larger size and darker color. They
agree rather closely with _Sorex r. amoenus_ from California and
Nevada. Because they are isolated from that subspecies it seems
best to consider them a microgeographic race referable to
_monticola_.

=Sorex obscurus= Merriam

Dusky shrew

_Description._--The dusky shrew is similar in form of body to the cinereous shrew. The length of head and body is about 2-1/4 inches. The tail is about 2-1/2 inches. The upper parts are rusty or reddish brown. The underparts are brownish gray. The dusky shrew differs from the wandering shrew in possessing a slightly longer body and longer tail, but in eastern Washington the two species are almost indistinguishable.

Dusky shrews range from northern Alaska to southern New Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Thirteen subspecies are recognized by Jackson (1928: 115), of which two occur in Washington.

Records of the dusky shrew are not available from the arid subdivision of the Transition or the Upper Sonoran life-zones. It occurs sparingly in the humid subdivision of the Transition and is common in the Canadian and Hudsonian life-zones.

The habitat of the dusky shrew is varied. Near Seattle, King County, several specimens were trapped in marshes where _Sorex vagrans_ was abundant. Near Stevens Pass, King County, two were taken in a marsh; two others were trapped in a dry, coniferous forest; one was taken in a small bed of heather on a barren mountain top; and another was found dead in a pan of pancake batter in camp. Two specimens were trapped along a small stream at Dewey Lake, Mt. Rainier, Yakima County. Four specimens were caught in traps set in a talus slope on a dry hillside at the North Fork of the Quinault River, Jefferson County. Three others were trapped in dense, rain-forest thickets along the ocean at La Push, Jefferson County. These records indicate that the dusky shrew has a wider environmental range than other Washington shrews. Despite this wide range of tolerance the dusky shrew is common only locally, except in the Hudsonian Life-zone.

Little is known of the habits of dusky shrews but they seem to be as diurnal as they are nocturnal. At Wolf Bar, North Fork of the Quinault River, Jefferson County, a dusky shrew was seen on the packed-earth floor of an old trapper's cabin. A hat was carefully dropped over the live animal but, when the hat was lifted, the shrew was found dead. In an old cabin at Stevens Pass, King County, a dusky shrew was found dead one morning in a pan of flapjack batter prepared the evening before. As this pan was on a table about three feet from the floor, the shrew must have climbed to the table by way of the rough cabin wall, but how the animal managed to scale the side of the pan is a mystery.

Slipp (1942: 211) discovered the nest of a dusky shrew between Round Pass and Lake George, 4200 feet elevation, in Mt. Rainier National Park, on July 25, 1937. The nest was in a rotten fir log 20 inches in diameter. The nest, a ball of dry grass the size of a man's fist, had no central cavity or passages, the occupants "merely pushed through wherever they wished." Seven young shrews were found in and near the nest. Though the eyes of the young were still closed, they were able to creep about and squeal.

A specimen obtained 5 miles west-southwest of Guler, Skamania County, contained 4 embryos on July 10, 1939.

=Sorex obscurus obscurus= Merriam

_Sorex vagrans similis_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 5: 34, July 30,
1891 (not of Hensel, 1855).

_Sorex obscurus_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 10: 72, December 31,
1895 (substitute for _similis_ Merriam).

_Type._--Obtained on Timber Creek, 8,200 ft., Lemhi Mountains,
Lemhi County, Idaho, by V. Bailey and B. H. Dutcher on August 26,
1890; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Tail relatively short, color pale.

_Measurements._--Thirteen males and 10 females from Indian-point
Lake, British Columbia, average, respectively: total length 105,
107; length of tail 45, 46; hind foot 13.3, 13.3.

_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington west, according to
Jackson (1928: 122), to Pasayten River, Stehekin and Wenatchee.
Because specimens from Tye, King County, and Mt. Stuart, Easton
and Lake Keechelus are clearly referable to _S. o. setosus_, the
specimens recorded by Jackson (1928: 122), from Easton and Signal
Peak, are mapped in the range of _setosus_.

=Sorex obscurus setosus= Elliot

_Sorex setosus_ Elliot, Field Columb. Mus. Publ. 32. zoöl. ser.,
1:274. March, 1899.

_Sorex obscurus setosus_ Jackson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington.
31:127. November 29, 1918.

_Sorex obscurus bairdi_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 51:140. July 24,
1928.

_Type._--Obtained at Happy Lake, Clallam County, Washington, by D.
G. Elliot on August 18, 1898; type in Field Museum of Natural
History.

_Racial characters._--Tail long, color dark.

_Measurements._--Twelve males and 17 females from southwestern
Washington average, respectively: total length 118, 119; length of
tail 53, 53; hind foot 13.8, 13.7; weight 6.6, 5.2 grams.

_Distribution._--Western Washington, east through the Cascades to
Barron (Jackson, 1928: 137), Cascade River (Jackson 1928: 137) and
Satus Pass (W. W. D.).

=Sorex palustris navigator= (Baird)

Mountain water shrew

_Neosorex navigator_ Baird, Rept. Pacific R. R. Survey, 8 (pt. I):
11, 1857.

_Sorex (Neosorex) palustris navigator_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna,
10:92, December 31, 1895.

_Sorex palustris navigator_ Stephens, California Mammals, p. 254,
June, 1906.

_Type._--Obtained at head of Yakima River, Kittitas County,
Washington, by J. G. Cooper on August 31, 1853; type in United
States National Museum.

_Measurements._--Two males and 4 females from Washington average,
respectively: total length 150, 150; length of tail 70, 74; hind
foot 18.5, 20; weight?, 11.0 grams.

_Distribution._--Mountainous areas of entire state, including the
Olympic Mountains, from Elwah (Jackson, 1928: 188) south to
Quinault River (Jackson, 1928: 189); the Cascades from Tomyhoi
Lake (W. W. D.) south to 15 mi. N. Carson (Jackson, 1928: 189);
northeastern Washington from Shovel Creek (W. W. D.) south to
Gifford (Jackson, 1928: 189); the Blue Mountains at Godman Springs
(M. V. Z.) and Hompeg Falls (M. V. Z.).

_Description._--In general form of body the mountain water shrew resembles the cinereous shrew but is perhaps more stocky. It is a large shrew, nearly as large as a house mouse. The head and body measure about 3 inches; the tail also is about 3 inches long. The fur is exceedingly soft. The upper parts are blackish in color, lightly frosted with paler hairs. The underparts, from throat to vent, are whitish tinged with gray or brown. The stiff, curved fringe of bristles on the outer part of the hind foot serves as an aid in swimming.

Mountain water shrews range over much of Canada and in mountainous areas of the western United States extend south to Arizona. The subspecies found in Washington ranges over all of the western United States.

The mountain water shrew is primarily a mammal of the Hudsonian and Canadian life-zones. It sometimes descends to the Transition Life-zone along clear, cold streams where conditions are similar to those in the Canadian Life-zone.

The favored habitats of the mountain water shrew are the clear, cold streams of the alpine cirques and gushing streams on the mountain sides. In the pools and waterfalls, and among the rocks and mosses that border them, the larvae of aquatic insects, upon which the mountain water shrew feeds, are abundant. Svihla (1934: 45) observed that the fur of a swimming water shrew gathered air bubbles and "it had difficulty in forcing its way down to the bottom [of an aquarium]. On reaching the bottom it literally stood on its long flexible nose which was thrust into the sand and debris, searching for food, its feet kicking rapidly in order to maintain this position. A change in direction was brought about by a twist of the body. To come to the surface again it merely stopped kicking and immediately rose like a cork." The buoyancy of the water shrew allows it to float in the water, like a duck. Jackson (1928: 9) observed a water shrew run across the surface of a small pool. Near Stevens Pass a water shrew dashed from under a stone and ran, did not swim, across the surface of a small, deep pool to escape in a burrow on the other side. According to Jackson, an air bubble held in each foot supports the shrew on the surface of the water. A mountain water shrew observed at Shovel Creek, Ferry County, was as agile on land as any other species of shrew. In summary, water shrews are able to swim, dive, float like a duck, and walk on the surface of the water as well as walk on land.

The food of the mountain water shrew includes snails, leeches, and the larvae of aquatic insects. Mice caught in traps are sometimes eaten by water shrews. Svihla (_loc. cit._) found a captive water shrew unable to capture pollywogs and minnows kept in the same aquarium.

=Sorex bendirii= (Merriam)

Bendire water shrew

_Description._--The Bendire water shrew is similar in form of body to the cinereous shrew but possesses a more stocky body which, with the head, measures about 3-1/2 inches long; the tail is about 2-3/4 inches long. The Bendire water shrew closely resembles also the mountain water shrew but has a longer body and shorter tail. The upper parts are blackish in color, not lightly frosted with gray hairs. The hind feet lack the fringe of stiff, curved bristles characteristic of the mountain water shrew. The underparts are black in the race _S. b. bendirii_. In the race _albiventer_ the throat is blackish but the abdomen is pale gray tinged with brownish.

Bendire water shrews are restricted to the Pacific Coast of North America from southern British Columbia to northern California. Generally they are found at elevations lower than are mountain water shrews. They are typically mammals of the humid division of the Transition Life-zone but often occur in the Canadian Life-zone. They occupy marshes, swamps, damp ravines, and the banks of slow-moving streams. Little is known of their habits, except what has been deduced from the circumstances of their capture. They seem less aquatic than the mountain water shrew. Near Jackson Guard Station on the Hoh River, Jefferson County, one was taken by setting traps on dense beds of water cress that floated in a slow-moving stream. The animal must have swum or walked on the surface of the mat of vegetation. Near Paradise Lake, King County, several were caught in a deep, dark, red cedar swamp. One was caught in a marsh nearby. Nothing is known of the food habits of the Bendire water shrew.

=Sorex bendirii bendirii= (Merriam)

_Atophyrax bendirii_ Merriam, Trans. Linn. Soc. New York, 2:217,
August 28, 1884.

_Atophyrax Bendirei_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1884):606,
1885.

_Sorex bendirii_ Dobson, Monog. Insectivora, part 3, fasc. 1, pl.
23, 1890.

_Neosorex bendirii bendirii_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:22,
December 31, 1912.

_Type._--Obtained approximately 1 mile from Williamson River, 18
miles southeast of Fort Klamath, Klamath County, Oregon, by C. C.
Bendire on August 1, 1882; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Underparts everywhere sooty black.

_Measurements._--Ten males and 10 females from southwestern
Washington average, respectively: total length 163.9, 161.0;
length of tail 71.0, 72.6; hind foot 20.5, 20.3; weight 16.8, 14.5
grams.

_Distribution._--The southern Cascades and the lowlands of western
Washington, exclusive of the Olympic Peninsula. Marginal
localities on the west include Mt. Vernon (Jackson, 1928: 196),
Bothell (W.S.M.), Renton (M.V.Z.), Puyallup (W.W.D.), Steilacoom
(Jackson, 1928: 196) and Oakville (Jackson, 1928: 196).

=Sorex bendirii albiventer= Merriam

_Sorex (Atophyrax) bendirii albiventer_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna,
10:97, December 31, 1895.

_Neosorex bendirii albiventer_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:22, December 31, 1912.

_Sorex bendirii albiventer_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 51:198, July
24, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained at Lake Cushman, Mason County, Washington, by C.
P. Streator on July 7, 1894; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Area on abdomen whitish.

_Measurements._--A male from near the type locality measures:
total length 167; length of tail 69; hind foot 22. One from
Potlatch, Mason County, measures 167; 69; 22.

_Distribution._--The Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Marginal
localities on the south are: Potlatch (M.V.Z.) and Lake Quinault
(Jackson, 1928: 199).

=Microsorex hoyi washingtoni= Jackson

Pigmy shrew

_Microsorex hoyi washingtoni_ Jackson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
38:125, November 13, 1925.

_Type._--Obtained at Loon Lake, Stevens County, Washington, by V.
Bailey on September 26, 1897; type in United States National
Museum.

_Measurements._--Of type: total length 89; length of tail 27; hind
foot 9.

_Distribution._--In Washington, known only from the type specimen
which was "found dead in a trail in dry pine woods" (Jackson,
1928: 4).

_Description._--The pigmy shrew is similar in form of body to the cinereous shrew but smaller. The head and body are about 1-3/4 inches in length; the tail is about 1 inch long. The upper parts are reddish brown and the underparts are gray.

These tiny mammals range widely across central Canada and northern United States from the Atlantic nearly to the Pacific, and north to central Alaska. A single species is known, one race of which occurs in Washington. The subspecies is known from but two specimens: the type and an individual from Montana (Koford, 1938: 372.)

Genus =Myotis= Kaup

Mouse-eared bats

_Description._--The genus _Myotis_ may be separated from all other bats that occur in Washington by the presence of 38 teeth (dental formula i. 2-2/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 3-3/3-3, m. 3-3/3-3 = 38). Their small size separates them from all other genera save _Pipistrellus_, from which _Myotis_ may be distinguished by the straight, rather than hooked, anterior border of the tragus. Species of _Myotis_ found in Washington vary considerably in size, but all are less than 100 mm. in total length. The upper parts are various shades of brown in color. The ears, when laid forward, always extend to the nostrils or beyond.

This genus is one of the most widely ranging groups of Recent mammals. It occurs on all continents, including Australia and many of the larger islands. Of the 19 American species recognized by Miller and Allen (1928), eight occur in the state of Washington. They are low-flying forms and as a rule appear relatively late in the evening. Their flight is rapid and erratic. They often hunt over the surfaces of streams, pools, and lakes. Some kinds hunt in the shade of forest trees and these are especially difficult to collect. Others hunt the brushy canyons and coulees of the desert areas of eastern Washington.

Grinnell (1918: 241-242) points out that, although bats are not subject to isolation by topographic barriers, as most wingless mammals are, they may be restricted by ecologic barriers in the same way as are other small mammals. This is particularly true of _Myotis_ in Washington. Of the eight species in the state, five are represented by one subspecies west of the Cascade Mountains and another, paler subspecies in the more arid country east of the Cascades.

The mobility of bats makes it difficult to determine their origin and migrational history. Five of the _Myotis_ found in Washington seem to belong to the Pacific Coastal Fauna, and to have been isolated south of the last continental glacier. Complete isolation is unlikely as these species occur in the Cascade Mountains as well as in the Pacific Coastal Faunal Area, and three occur also in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. The differentiation of the Coastal type of _Myotis_ may have come about through habitat selection, of the type discussed by Miller (1942: 25). One western Washington _Myotis_ (_M. keenii_) seems to belong to a northern fauna, and to have extended its range south to Washington. All seven species of the desert-living _Myotis_ found in eastern Washington have subspecies which seem to have been derived from the Great Basin Faunal Area.

=Myotis lucifugus= (Le Conte)

Big myotis

_Myotis lucifugus_ is represented by two geographic races in Washington. The species ranges across Canada and the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the northern limit of tree growth to southern Mexico.

It usually proves rather difficult to separate _Myotis lucifugus_, on the basis of external features, from other species with which it may occur. Its large foot (9-10 mm.), short ear (when laid forward not extending past nose) and the absence of a keel on the calcar separate it from all species except _Myotis yumanensis_. From the latter species, _lucifugus_ may be distinguished by the gradually rather than abruptly rising forehead, as seen in cleaned skulls, and by more shiny, metallic color of fur.

Little is known of the habits of this bat in Washington. It usually appears after dusk, and most specimens are shot over ponds or lakes, where the reflection of light from the sky on the water allows the hunter enough light to sight a gun. A few specimens were collected in deep forests. Its flight and feeding habits are not known to differ from those of other species with which it was associated, except at the south end of Lake Chelan, Chelan County, where two individuals were shot as they hovered near the tops of pine trees and seemed to be picking insects from the branches. I have never found this bat in its daytime retreat.

A specimen taken at Sportman's Lake, San Juan County, held one embryo on June 26, 1938.

=Myotis lucifugus carissima= Thomas

_Myotis (Leuconoë) carissima_ Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 13
(ser. 7): 383, May, 1904.

_Myotis lucifugus carissima_ Cary, N. Amer. Fauna, 42:43, October
3, 1917.

_Type._--Obtained at Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park,
Wyoming by J. Darling in September, 1903; type in British Museum.

_Racial characters._--Color pale, rather "brassy" in tone; distal
border of interfemoral membrane paler than proximal part.

_Measurements._--Four specimens from eastern Washington average:
total length 77; length of tail 33; hind foot 11; ear 13; height
of tragus 7.3.

_Distribution._--East of the eastern base of the Cascade
Mountains, save for the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington.
Western records are Stehekin (Miller and Allen, 1928: 52) and
Vantage (W. W. D.)

=Myotis lucifugus alascensis= Miller

_Myotis lucifugus alascensis_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:63,
October 16, 1897.