Chapter VI: Part 6

_Vespertilio gryphus lucifugus_ Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
43:78, March 14, 1894 (part specimens from Washington).

_Type._--Obtained at Sitka, Alaska, by C. P. Streator on August 5,
1895; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Color dark, almost bronze; wing and tail
membranes uniformly dark in color.

_Measurements._--Five specimens from San Juan County, Washington,
average: total length 80.9; length of tail 32.1; hind foot 12; ear
12; height of tragus 7; weight 5.4 grams.

_Distribution._--From the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains
west of the Pacific, and the Blue Mountains of southeastern
Washington. Marginal occurrences listed by Miller and Allen
(1928:49) are Chilliwack River, Lake Wenatchee, and Lyle.

=Myotis yumanensis= (H. Allen)

Yuma myotis

_Description._--The present species closely resembles _Myotis lucifugus_ and specimens in worn pelage can not be distinguished from that species unless the cleaned skulls are examined. In fresh pelage, _yumanensis_ is duller than _lucifugus_.

_Myotis yumanensis_ ranges from southern British Columbia to central Mexico west of the Mississippi River. Four races are recognized by Miller and Allen (1928: 62).

The habits of _Myotis yumanensis_ and _Myotis lucifugus_ appear to be the same. In Washington the two species are commonly found together. In western Washington, _Myotis yumanensis_ seems to be more common than _Myotis lucifugus_.

In the San Juan Islands a _yumanensis_ was found hiding in the attic of an old cabin on Blakeley Island. A specimen of long-eared bat was taken at the same place. Another Yuma myotis was caught behind a door of a mill on Blakeley Island (Dalquest, 1940: 4).

This species shares with _Myotis californicus_ the habit of apparently drinking salt water.

A specimen obtained at Sportsmans Lake, San Juan County, held one embryo on June 27, 1938. One from Peavine Pass, Blakeley Island, San Juan County, held one embryo on June 22, 1939.

=Myotis yumanensis sociabilis= H. W. Grinnell

_Myotis yumanensis sociabilis_ H. W. Grinnell, Univ. California
Publ. Zoöl., 12:318, December 4, 1914.

_Type._--Obtained at old Fort Tejon, Kern County, California, by J.
Grinnell on July 23, 1904; type in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial character._--Color pale.

_Measurements._--Two males and 2 females from Selah, Yakima
County, average: total length 78; length of tail 36; hind foot 10;
ear 14; height of tragus 7.

_Distribution._--Eastern Washington generally. Marginal records on
the west are: Stehekin (Miller and Allen, 1928: 69), and Selah
(W.W.D.).

=Myotis yumanensis saturatus= Miller

_Myotis yumanensis saturatus_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:68,
October 16, 1897.

_Type._--Obtained at Hamilton, Skagit County, Washington, by T. S.
Palmer on September 13, 1889; type in United States National
Museum.

_Racial character._--Color dark.

_Measurements._--Eighteen adults of both sexes from San Juan
County, Washington, average: Total length 78.2; length of tail
34.4; hind foot 10.1; ear 15; height of tragus 7.4; weight 5.9
grams.

_Distribution._--From the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains to
the Pacific. This is the commonest _Myotis_ found in western
Washington. Marginal localities are: Hamilton (Miller and Allen,
1928: 71), and Goldendale (Miller and Allen, 1928: 71).

=Myotis keenii keenii= (Merriam)

Keen myotis

_Vespertilio subulatus keenii_ Merriam, Amer. Nat., 29:860,
September, 1895.

_Myotis subulatus keenii_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:77, October
16, 1897.

_Myotis keenii keenii_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
144:104, May 25, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained at Masset, Graham Island, Queen Charlotte
Islands, British Columbia, by J. H. Keen in 1894; type in United
States National Museum.

_Measurements._--Miller and Allen (1928: 109) list the
measurements of a male from Sol Duc Hot Springs, Clallam County,
and a specimen of unknown sex from Lake Cushman, Jefferson County,
as, respectively: total length 89, 87; length of tail 34, 36; hind
foot 8.4, 7.4; ear?, 14.6.

_Distribution._--Only the Olympic Peninsula, where it has been
recorded by Miller and Allen (1928: 104) from Sol Duc Hot Springs
and Lake Cushman.

_Description._--_Myotis keenii_ is similar, in general, to _Myotis lucifugus_ and _Myotis yumanensis_, but the ears are longer and when laid forward reach about 4 mm. past the nose rather than ending at the nostrils. The foot is of medium size (about 8 mm.) and no keel is present on the calcar.

The distribution of this species is given by Miller and Allen (1928: 101) as "northern North America from the limits of tree growth south in the east to South Carolina and Arkansas, and in the west to northwestern Washington."

I have not observed this bat in Washington and know nothing of its habits. Its distribution is most unusual. Its range seems to lie only in the glaciated area of western British Columbia and northern Washington.

=Myotis evotis= (H. Allen)

Long-eared myotis

_Description._--The distinguishing feature of _Myotis evotis_ is its long ears, which, when laid forward, reach 5 mm. in front of the nose. _Myotis thysanodes_ and _Myotis keenii_, other species in which the ears are rather long, have the ears ending less than 5 mm. anterior to the nose when laid forward. The foot of _Myotis evotis_ is of moderate size (8 to 9 mm.).

This species ranges over the western United States, from British Columbia to central Mexico. Two subspecies of this interesting bat are recognized, both of which occur in Washington.

Though I have hunted for this species of bat in Washington on numerous occasions, I have taken no specimens. In the summer of 1939, _Myotis_ identified as this species because of their large ears, were seen flying at midnight in the light of searchlights over Lake Washington Canal at Seattle. Mary Greer gave us a specimen which was struck by her auto near Baker Lake, Whatcom County. According to Miss Greer, the specimen was seen "hovering in the road, like a large moth." The time was about midnight. This evidence indicates that the species does its hunting late at night, when ordinary methods of hunting bats are useless, and may account for the scarcity of specimens from the state. Nevertheless, collectors from the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy took specimens in the Blue Mountains where the bats flew slowly, in rather straight courses, 20 to 25 feet from the ground.

This species has not, so far as is known, been taken in Washington in its daytime retreat. Daniel Bonell saved two specimens from under slabs of loose bark on old, dead snags near Tillamook, Oregon. Davis (1939: 214) reported them as hiding in the daytime in a cave in Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. Whitlow and Hall (1933: 241) report specimens found in an old cabin near Pocatello, Idaho, two of them containing one embryo each.

=Myotis evotis evotis= (H. Allen)

_Vespertilio evotis_ Allen, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 7 (no.
165):48, June, 1864.

_Myotis evotis_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:77, October 16, 1897.

_Myotis evotis evotis_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
144:114, April 14, 1928.

_Type._--Description based on a series of specimens, one of which
came from Monterey, California. This locality was designated the
type locality by Miller (1897: 78).

_Racial character._--Color pale.

_Measurements._--Two males and 2 specimens of unknown sex from the
Blue Mountains, Columbia County, average: total length 87; length
of tail 40; hind foot 7.5; ear 20; height of tragus 11; weight 5.4
grams.

_Distribution._--The Blue Mountains area, of southeastern
Washington; recorded from South Touchet (Miller and Allen, 1928:
116) and Godman Springs (W. S. M.).

_Remarks._--Miller and Allen (1928: 116) record the dark race of _Myotis evotis_ from the Blue Mountains. Specimens examined by me are much paler than _pacificus_ and most of them are indistinguishable from specimens of _evotis_ from California.

=Myotis evotis pacificus= Dalquest

_Vespertilio evotis_ Allen, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 7 (no.
165):48, June, 1864 (part specimens from Puget Sound).

_Myotis evotis evotis_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
144:114, May 25, 1928.

_Myotis evotis pacificus_ Dalquest, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
56:2, February 25, 1943.

_Type._--Obtained from 3-1/2 miles east and 5 miles north of
Yacolt, Clark County, Washington, by John Chattin on August 3,
1940; type in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial character._--Color dark.

_Measurements._--Five specimens from the type locality average:
Total length 85; length of tail 41; hind foot 7.4; ear 19.4;
height of tragus 10; weight 5.5 grams.

_Distribution._--Western Washington from the Cascade Mountains
westward. Marginal occurrences are: Baker Lake (W. W. D.) and
Easton (Miller and Allen, 1928: 116).

=Myotis thysanodes thysanodes= Miller

Fringe-tailed myotis

_Myotis thysanodes_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:80, October 16,
1897.

_Myotis thysanodes thysanodes_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus.
Bull., 144:126, May 25, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained at Old Fort Tejon, Kern County, California, by T.
S. Palmer on July 5, 1891; type in United States National Museum.

_Measurements._--Two males and 3 females from Vernon, British
Columbia, average, respectively: total length 90.5, 82; length of
tail 41.5, 37; hind foot 10.5, 10; ear 18.5, 16; height of tragus
14, 13.

_Distribution._--In Washington known only from the southeastern
border of the state, namely from Dayton (W. S. M.) and Anatone
(Miller and Allen, 1928: 127).

_Description._--_Myotis thysanodes_ resembles _Myotis evotis_, but differs in larger size, smaller ear (reaching less than 5 mm. past nose when laid forward), and in possessing a well developed fringe of hairs along the border of the caudal membrane.

This species of bat ranges over western North America from southern British Columbia to southern Mexico. Two geographic races are currently recognized, only one of which occurs in the United States. This bat is not recorded by Davis (1939) as occurring in Idaho and has been found only once in Oregon. The only published account of the habits of _thysanodes_ seems to be that of Palmer (in Miller, 1897: 84, also Grinnell, 1918) who found adults and young of various sizes in company with _Myotis yumanensis_ in the attic of an old adobe building near Old Fort Tejon, California, in July, 1891. The specimens obtained in Washington and British Columbia came from dry areas of pine forest.

=Myotis volans= (H. Allen)

Hairy-winged myotis

_Description._--This species, in Washington, may be easily recognized by its relatively large size and the presence of a distinct keel on the side of the calcar, posterior to the foot.

Four subspecies of _Myotis volans_ are recognized by Miller and Allen (1928: 136). These range over western North America from southern Alaska to southern Mexico. Two subspecies occur in Washington.

The record stations in Washington for the pale, southern race are all in arid places and the dark, coastal race is a forest animal. Most of the specimens taken by me (all of the dark race) were in clearings or along roads through timber near the crests of hills. They appeared relatively late in the evening, after the big-brown and the silver-haired bats had been in the air for some time. Often they were taken in company with _Myotis lucifugus_ and _Myotis yumanensis_. They were appreciably larger than those species and their flight was slower and less erratic. They usually flew in relatively straight lines or large circles at from ten to forty feet from the ground. At Lake Kapowsin, Pierce County, they were attracted by swishing a long pole in the air. At Renton, King County, one was shot as it hunted insects at a city street light several hours after dark.

=Myotis volans longicrus= (True)

_Vespertilio longicrus_ True, Science, 8:588, 1886.

_Vespertilio nitidus longicrus_ H. Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
43:103, March 14, 1894.

_Myotis lucifugus longicrus_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:64,
October 16, 1897.

_Myotis longicrus_ Lyon and Osgood, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 62:271,
January 28, 1909.

_Myotis volans longicrus_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
144:140, May 25, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained in the "vicinity of Puget Sound, Washington" by
D. S. Jordan, and catalogued in the U. S. National Museum on
December 16, 1886.

_Racial character._--Color dark.

_Measurements._--A female from 6 miles northeast of Kelso, Cowlitz
County, measures: total length 95; length of tail 39; hind foot 8;
ear 13; height of tragus 8.

_Distribution._--From the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains to
the Pacific. Marginal records (from Miller and Allen, 1928: 142)
are Oroville, Entiat, and Carson.

=Myotis volans interior= Miller

_Myotis longicrus_ interior Miller, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
27:211, October 31, 1914.

_Myotis volans interior_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
144:142, May 25, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained 5 miles south of Twining, Taos County, New
Mexico, by Vernon Bailey on July 23, 1904; type in United States
National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Smaller and paler than _Myotis v.
longicrus_.

_Measurements._--Four males and a female from the Blue Mountains,
Columbia County, average: total length 93; length of tail 41.5;
hind foot?; ear 12; height of tragus 6.3.

_Distribution._--Known only from the Blue Mountains area of the
southeastern part of the state, from Walla Walla (E. S. B.) east
to Anatone (Miller and Allen, 1928: 144).

_Remarks._--Of 5 specimens available from the Blue Mountains, 4
are like _interior_ and 1 is like _longicrus_.

=Myotis californicus= (Audubon and Bachman)

California myotis

_Description._--_Myotis californicus_ may be separated from all _Myotis_ that occur in Washington, except _Myotis subulatus_, by its small foot (about 6 mm.). It is the only small-footed bat found in western Washington. In eastern Washington, where _Myotis subulatus_ occurs, the cleaned skulls of the two species must be compared before certain identification of some specimens is possible. The skull of _M. californicus_ possesses a higher cranium and more abruptly rising forehead than that of _M. subulatus_.

Four geographic races of this bat recognized by Miller and Allen (1928: 149) range from southern Alaska southward over western North America to southern Mexico. Two subspecies occur in Washington.

_Myotis californicus_, in western Washington, often occurs in company with _Myotis yumanensis_, _lucifugus_, and _volans_. In flight it cannot be distinguished from _M. yumanensis_ or _M. lucifugus_. Most of our specimens were collected over water, for these bats usually fly rather late and can be shot most easily where their reflection on the water assists the hunter in aiming. They are usually not common, one or two being taken at a single locality. This species, like _Myotis yumanensis_, seems to drink salt water. On May 9, 1936, a living specimen was caught under a loose piece of bark on a dead tree.

=Myotis californicus caurinus= Miller

_Vespertilio nitidus_ H. Allen, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia,
p. 247, 1862 (part of the specimens were from Fort Steilacoom,
Pierce Co., Washington).

_Myotis californicus caurinus_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:72,
October 16, 1897.

_Type._--Obtained at Masset, Graham Island, Queen Charlotte
Islands, British Columbia, by J. H. Keen in 1895; type in United
States National Museum.

_Racial character._--Color reddish-brown.

_Measurements._--Eight specimens, including both sexes, from the
San Juan Islands, San Juan and Skagit counties, average: total
length 77.8; length of tail 36.7; hind foot 6.7; ear?; height of
tragus 7.6; weight 5.2 grams.

_Distribution._--Western Washington east through the northern
Cascades to Chelan, Blue Creek and Colville (Miller and Allen,
1928: 156) in northeastern Washington, and, farther south, east to
Mount Rainier (Miller and Allen, 1928: 156) and Carson (Miller and
Allen, 1928: 156).

=Myotis californicus californicus= (Audubon and Bachman)

_Vespertilio californicus_ Audubon and Bachman, Jour. Acad. Nat.
Sci., Philadelphia, 8 (ser. 1, ser. 1, pt. 2):285, 1842.

_Myotis californicus_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:69, October 16,
1897.

_Type._--None designated. Type locality fixed at Monterey, Monterey
County, California, by Miller and Allen (1928: 153).

_Racial character._--Color pale.

_Measurements._--A female from Crooked River, Crook County,
Oregon, measures: Total length 80; length of tail 40; hind foot 7;
ear 13; height of tragus 5; weight 3.2 grams.

_Distribution._--Recorded only from the eastern part of the state.
Westernmost records, according to Miller and Allen (1928: 155)
are: Orondo, Goldendale and Lyle.

=Myotis subulatus melanorhinus= (Merriam)

Small-footed myotis

_Vespertilio melanorhinus_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 3:46, September
11, 1890.

_Myotis subulatus melanorhinus_ Miller and Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus.
Bull., 144:169, May 25, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained on San Francisco Mountain, 8250 ft. elevation,
Coconino County, Arizona, by C. H. Merriam and V. Bailey on August
4, 1889; type in United States National Museum.

_Measurements._--Three males and 2 females from eastern Washington
average: total length 77; length of tail 37; hind foot 7; ear 15;
height of tragus 8. One weighed 5.4 grams.

_Distribution._--Desert areas of eastern Washington, including the
Columbian Plateau and the lower Columbia River Valley. Marginal
records are: 5 mi. S Grand Coulee Dam (W. W. D.) in the north,
Wenatchee (W. W. D.) in the northwest, Lyle (W. W. D.) in the
southwest, and Bly (Miller and Allen, 1928: 171) in the southeast.

_Description._--_Myotis subulatus_ is closely similar to _Myotis californicus_, but is more orange in color and has the skin on the face more nearly black. Specimens cannot be identified with certainty until the cleaned skulls are examined. The more flattened cranium and less abruptly rising forehead separate _Myotis subulatus_ from _M. californicus_.

This species is confined to the United States and northern Mexico. Two races are recognized by Miller and Allen (1928), of which one occurs in Washington. It is the commonest bat in the desert of eastern Washington. It lives far from trees on plains and in sandy or rocky areas, emerging rather early in the evening. It is not difficult to shoot. Its flight is erratic. The animal usually hunts in large, irregular circles at 10 to 25 feet from the ground. It has not been found in its daytime retreat but may hide in crevices in rocky outcrops. Near Vantage, Grant County, individuals were shot as they hung up in a concrete underpass to digest food. The stomachs of specimens taken were so crammed with the remains of insects that their abdomens were greatly distended. The underpass seemed to be only a resting place, not inhabited by day. Others were taken when they came to rest in the loft of a barn at Selah, Yakima County. They usually did not arrive at the barn until an hour after sunset and were still present there at midnight.

=Lasionycteris noctivagans= (Le Conte)

Silver-haired bat

_V[espertilio]. noctivagans_ Le Conte, McMurtrie's Cuvier, Anim.
Kingd., 1:431, 1831.

_Vesperugo noctivagans_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7:602, 1885.

_Lasionycteris noctivagans_ Allen, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 43:105,
March 14, 1894.

_Type._--None designated; described from a specimen obtained in the
"eastern United States."

_Measurements._--Five males from San Juan County, Washington,
average: total length 96.2; length of tail 46.4; hind foot 8.5;
ear 16; height of tragus 7.2; weight 8.2 grams.

_Distribution._--Forested areas of the entire state. This species
is migratory and first appears about the middle of May. September
15th is the latest recorded occurrence, when one was seen at
Seattle, King County. Marginal records are: Sportsmans Lake (W. W.
D.), in the northwest; Carson (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 9) in the
southwest; Pass Creek Pass (W. W. D.) in the northeast; and Bly
(Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 9) in the southeast.

_Remarks._--The chocolate-brown color phase of the silver-haired bat is most common east of the Cascade Mountains, while almost all specimens from western Washington represent the black phase.

This medium-sized bat is the darkest-colored species living in the state, ranging from chocolate-brown to nearly black. Numerous white-tipped hairs give the upper parts a frosted appearance. The upper surface of the interfemoral membrane is well furred, a character shared only with _Lasiurus_. The dental formula (i. 2-2/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 2-2/3-3, m. 3-3/3-3 = 36) is the same as that of _Corynorhinus_. The small ears and short tragus immediately distinguish the silver-haired bat from the long-eared bat.

The genus _Lasionycteris_ contains but a single species, of which no geographic races have been described. It ranges across North America from coast to coast and from central Canada southward, in forested areas, nearly to Mexico. This species is known to be migratory, and southern records probably do not represent breeding individuals.

In Washington these bats have been taken in the Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian life-zones. They were found near clearings in forests of open pine woods in the arid section of eastern Washington, near mountain hemlock thickets in the high mountains, and in the dense rain-forests of the Pacific Coastal area.

The size and flight of the silver-haired bats are distinctive, and after some experience it is possible to identify them in the air. It is an early flier, usually appearing just after the swallows roost. They fly at a considerable height, rarely coming within forty feet of the ground. The wings are moved with a "fluttery" motion, and their flight is interrupted by frequent short glides. They fly more rapidly than the big brown-bats, and twist and dart sideways more frequently. Compared with big brown-bats, silver-haired bats are relatively gregarious, and six to a dozen individuals were seen in the same area. They generally hunt in sweeping circles, from fifty to one hundred yards in diameter. In the daytime the silver-haired bats hide beneath slabs of loose bark on dead trees. Near Cottage Lake, King County, two individuals were found beneath the bark on an old, lightning-blasted stub. The dark color of the bats blended with the charred surface of the stub.

This species feeds mainly on forest insects and for this reason is probably of considerable value to man. The stomachs of specimens were usually crammed with the remains of small, soft-bodied insects.

=Corynorhinus rafinesquii= (Lesson)

Long-eared bat

_Description._--Diagnostic characters of the long-eared bat are: medium size (total length about 4 inches); dull, grayish-brown color; exceptionally long ears (over 1 inch from notch); thin, tissue-like membranes; and paired "lumps" on the rostrum. The dental formula is: i. 2-2/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 2-2/3-3, m. 3-3/3-3 = 36.

Long-eared bats range from southern British Columbia to southern Mexico. Three species are listed by Miller (1924: 82), one of which (_rafinesquii_) is divisible into five geographic races.

This bat is colonial and is not uncommonly found in caves, mine shafts, and darkened attics of old buildings. It is of scattered distribution throughout the state. In Washington its distribution in winter is unknown. A specimen from Friday Harbor, San Juan County, taken in March, 1936, indicates that it hibernates in the state. Whitlow and Hall (1933: 245) give a detailed account of individuals found hibernating in winter near Pocatello, Idaho.

John K. Townsend (1839: 325) mentions that the "great-eared bat" at the forts of the Columbia River district (Fort Vancouver) were protected by the "gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Company for their services in destroying the _dermestes_ which abound in their fur establishments." Townsend mentions also that the long-eared bats seldom left the "storehouses attached to the forts," even at night. My own observations are similar, in that at Boulder Cave, Kittitas County, on July 7, 1936, when not less than 100 long-eared bats were present in the cave, I watched the entrances to the cave until an hour after dark but no bats were seen to emerge. All of the specimens available from Washington were caught in their daytime hiding place. The number of long-eared bats at Boulder Cave has decreased in recent years. On July 12, 1930, bats were so abundant that 90 were captured with a single sweep of a butterfly net (T. H. Scheffer, 1930: 11). On July 7, 1936, it was estimated that there were slightly more than 100 in the cave. On June 11, 1937, the number was less, probably about 75.

Little is known of the food habits of the long-eared bat. The stomach of a specimen from Blakeley Island, San Juan County, was crammed with the remains of insects, including the wing scales of _Lepidoptera_ and the wings of small Diptera.

Scheffer noted that the long-eared bats at Boulder Cave were nearly ready to give birth to young on July 12, 1930, and were carrying naked young a week later. On July 7, 1936, at the same locality, females contained nearly full-term embryos.

=Corynorhinus rafinesquii townsendii= (Cooper)

_Plecotus townsendii_ Cooper, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. New York, 4:73,
November, 1837.

_Corynorhinus macrotis townsendii_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:53,
October 16, 1897.

_Corynorhinus megalotis townsendii_ G. M. Allen, Bull. Mus. Comp.
Zoöl., 60:344, April, 1916.

_Corynorhinus rafinesquii townsendii_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus.
Bull., 128:82, April 29, 1924.

_Type._--Probably obtained at Fort Vancouver, Clark County,
Washington; type not now in existence.

_Racial character._--Dark color.

_Measurements._--A male from Blakeley Island, San Juan County,
measured: total length 83; length of tail 43; hind foot 8.5; ear
37.4; tragus 15.1; weight 10 grams.

_Distribution._--Western Washington, from Blakeley Island (W. W.
D.) in the north, south to Seattle (W. W. D.) and Fort Vancouver.

=Corynorhinus rafinesquii intermedius= H. W. Grinnell

_Corynorhinus rafinesquii intermedius_ H. W. Grinnell, Univ.
California Publ. Zoöl., 12:320, December 4, 1914.

_Corynorhinus rafinesquii townsendii_ Dalquest, Jour. Mamm.,
19:213, May 14, 1938.

_Type._--Obtained at Auburn, Placer County, California, by J. C.
Hawver on July 31, 1909; type in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial characters._--Paler and duller than _townsendii_.

_Measurements._--One male and 6 females from 15 miles east of
Tonasket, Okanogan County, average: total length 96, length of
tail 47; hind foot 11; ear 35.5; tragus 14.

_Distribution._--Scattered localities in the arid subdivision of
the Transition Life-zone of eastern Washington, from 15 mi. E
Tonasket (W. W. D.) on the north to Boulder Cave (W. W. D.) on the
west and Spokane (W. S. C.) on the east.

_Remarks._--Of specimens in the University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, those from Selah (not plotted on distribution map), Yakima County, are paler than those from Boulder Cave, Yakima County, but both series are paler than specimens from the coast of Oregon.

=Pipistrellus hesperus hesperus= (H. Allen)

Western pipistrelle

_Scotophilus hesperus_ H. Allen, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 7 (no.
165):43, June, 1864.

_Vesperugo hesperus_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7:602, 1885.

_Pipistrellus hesperus_ Miller, N. Amer. Fauna, 13:88, October 16,
1897.

_Type._--Obtained at Old Fort Yuma, Imperial County, California, by
G. H. Thomas; catalogued in U. S. National Museum on October 31,
1861.

_Measurements._--A specimen from Maryhill, Klickitat County,
measures: total length 68; length of tail 27; hind foot 7; ear 10;
height of tragus 3; weight 4.2 grams. Two males from Vantage,
Grant County, average: 68.5; 27.5; 6; 11; 4.

_Distribution._--Known only from along the Snake and Columbia
rivers of south-central Washington; recorded from Vantage
(W.W.D.), south to Maryhill (M.V.Z.), and east to Almota (Taylor
and Shaw, 1929: 9).

_Description._--This is the smallest bat found in Washington, its body being approximately 1-3/4 inches long and the tail 1-1/4. It may be separated from _Myotis_ by the bent tragus and by the possession of 34 rather than 38 teeth. The dental formula is: i. 2-2/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 2-2/2-2, m. 3-3/3-3 = 34.

The genus _Pipestrellus_ is cosmopolitan in distribution. The few records for the single subspecies found in Washington indicate that it is a casual, though probably regular, summer visitant from the south.

Two western pipistrelles were shot at Vantage, Grant County, on July 23, 1937. They flew in slow circles about 50 feet from the ground. No breeding records are known from the state.

=Eptesicus fuscus bernardinus= Rhoads

Big brown-bat

_Eptesicus fuscus bernardinus_ Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 1901:619, February 6, 1902.

_Eptesicus fuscus pallidus_ Engels, Amer. Midland Nat., 17:656,
May, 1936 (part specimens from Washington).

_Type._--Obtained near San Bernardino, San Bernardino County,
California, by R. B. Herron on May 26, 1893; type in Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

_Measurements._--Three males and 5 females from Washington
average: total length 117; length of tail 48; hind foot 11.5; ear
18.3; height of tragus 9.

_Distribution._--Forested areas of the entire state of Washington.
Marginal localities are San Juan Island (W.W.D.) in the northwest,
Carson (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 9), in the southwest, Newport
(W.W.D.) in the northeast, and Grand Ronde River (Taylor and Shaw,
1929: 9) in the southeast.

_Remarks._--Specimens from both eastern and western Washington vary greatly in color, and series of specimens from eastern Washington average little, if any, paler than series from western Washington. Washington specimens most closely resemble specimens from California of the race _bernardinus_ and average darker than _pallidus_.

_Description._ The big brown-bat may be distinguished from other bats by its large size (about 4-1/2 inches), rich, brown color, and small ears (reaching only to nostril when laid forward). It possesses 32 teeth, the dental formula being: i. 2-2/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 1-1/2-2, m. 3-3/3-3 = 32.

Bats of the genus _Eptesicus_ are cosmopolitan in distribution. A single species occurs in North America, of which Engels (1936) recognizes four races in western United States.

The big brown-bat appears early in the evening, often before the swallows have retired. This, and its large size, makes it relatively easy to study. It is principally a forest bat but also is found in towns and cities. It is common in Seattle and hunts around street lights and about the trees in the city parks. In its more natural habitat it flies over trees and clearings. Big brown-bats were repeatedly timed, with a car's speedometer, at 17 miles an hour as they flew down a road lined with tall trees. This is a greater speed than that at which they usually hunt. When the speed of the car was increased the bats dodged sideways, around the car. At lesser speeds they pulled ahead and escaped.

Big brown-bats are less gregarious, when hunting, than some bats. One or two may be found in a small area, the limits of which are definitely fixed. We noted this repeatedly near Cottage Lake, King County, where the big brown-bats hunted along roads through second-growth conifers. The bats patrolled back and forth along a section of a road about a quarter of a mile in length. When a bat reached the end of its personal territory, it would wheel and return. On six successive trips a bat turned, to retrace its course, at points less than 50 feet distant from the point of the first turn. When the bat approached the turning point on the seventh trip, a bat from the adjoining strip of road approached the area. The two animals fluttered about each other with shrill squeaks, audible 50 feet away. The fluttering and squeaking continued for nearly a minute, after which both bats resumed their hunting. Darkness concluded the observations.

On several occasions we stood on a road patrolled by a big brown-bat. The bat immediately detected the watcher and fluttered about his head and face. Big brown-bats ignore other species of bats hunting on their territory. Indeed, such comparatively slow flyers could scarcely drive the more speedy bats away.

Two _Eptesicus_, kept in captivity for several weeks, exhibited very different personalities. One was shy and sullen. It cowered in the back of its cage and attempted to bite when handled. It would eat only small quantities of finely scraped liver tendered to it on a spoon. If a bit of liver adhered to its face it would shake violently and refuse to eat more. When it had eaten its fill, it would seize the spoon in its teeth and spill the remaining food. The second specimen was tame and greedy. It ate insects, liver, earthworms, and even pieces of flesh. After two days in captivity it learned to come to the door of its cage at a person's approach and open its mouth, in anticipation of food. If it dropped bits of liver on which it was chewing it would descend from the top of its cage to retrieve them, squeaking indignantly while doing so. It also descended to the floor of the cage to lap water from a dish. It habitually hung head downward from the roof of its cage, but reversed its position when evacuating urine or feces. Engler (1943: 96) discovered that big brown-bats will kill and eat smaller bats, at least in captivity.

=Lasiurus cinereus cinereus= (Beauvois)

Hoary bat

_Vespertilio cinereus_ (misspelled _linereus_) Beauvois, Catal.
Raisonné Mus. Peale, Philadelphia, 1796:18 (p. 15 of English
edition by Peale and Beauvois).

_Lasiurus cinereus_ H. Allen, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 7 (no.
165): 21, 1864.

_Atalapha cinerea_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7:602, 1885.

_Type._--None designated. Type locality Pennsylvania, probably near
Philadelphia.

_Measurements._--Ten specimens from California average: Total
length 130.5; length of tail 54.8; hind foot 10.7; ear 16; height
of tragus 9.5; weight (of 3) 20.4 grams.

_Distribution._--Recorded from Seattle (W.S.M.) to the north,
Westport (W.S.M.) to the west and Pullman (W.S.M.) to the east.

_Remarks._--The hoary bat is the largest and most distinctively marked kind of bat in the state. Adults are usually more than 5 inches in total length. The fur is exceptionally long and soft. The wing-membranes are thick and leathery. The posterior half of the wing-membrane is black; the anterior half is pale. The interfemoral membrane is furred. Dorsally the color of the fur is mottled white and seal-brown, giving a silvery-gray effect. The ears are short and thick; the feet short and wide. The dental formula is: i. 1-1/3-3, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 2-2/2-2, m. 3-3/3-3 = 32.

The genus _Lasiurus_ is found in North America, South America, and the Hawaiian Islands. _Lasiurus cinereus_ ranges from British Columbia to southern South America. Osgood (1943: 53) records two subspecies from Chile.

Information on the natural history of the hoary bat is meager. It was observed in the Kettle River Mountains, but none was obtained. It flew erratically and rapidly and did not appear until darkness had set in. At least two were seen above a road through a forest of western larch and ponderosa pine. Probably it breeds in the mountains of northeastern Washington and in the northern Cascades.

The hoary bat is migratory, leaving the state in August and September, rarely lingering until early October. It winters along the coast of central and southern California (Dalquest, 1943: 23).

=Antrozous pallidus cantwelli= Bailey

Pallid bat

_Antrozous pallidus cantwelli_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 55:391,
August 29, 1936.

_Type._--Obtained at Rogersburg, Asotin County, Washington, by G.
G. Cantwell on May 28, 1918; type in United States National Museum.

_Measurements._--A male from the south bank of the Columbia River,
opposite Fallbridge, Klickitat County, measures: total length 113;
length of tail 40; hind foot 14; ear 36; height of tragus 13;
weight 19.8 grams.

_Distribution._--Recorded only from localities near the Columbia
and Snake rivers in eastern Washington; from Wenatchee (W.W.D.)
south and east to Bly and Rogersburg (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 9).

_Description._--_Antrozous pallidus_ is more likely to be confused with _Corynorhinus_ than with any other kind of bat and can be distinguished from _Corynorhinus_ by its larger size (4-1/2 to 5 inches), lighter color, thick and leathery membranes, and shorter, wider ears. _Antrozous_ lacks the prominent "lumps" on the rostrum, characteristic of the long-eared bat. The dental formula is: i. 1-1/2-2, c. 1-1/1-1, p. 1-1/2-2, m. 3-3/3-3 = 28.

The genus _Antrozous_ is confined to western United States and northwestern Mexico. Two species are recognized by Miller (1924: 84). One of these (_pallidus_) includes three geographic races. A single race is known to occur in Washington.

The pallid bat chooses a crevice in a cliff, cave, or building as its daytime hiding place. Like _Corynorhinus_, it is colonial. The basalt cliffs of eastern Washington offer such ideal hiding places that pallid bats are seldom seen and consequently little is known of their habits. In the southwestern United States, pallid bats are more abundant and better known. H. W. Grinnell (1918: 355) notes that the floor of a roost of pallid bats was strewn each morning with the heads, wings, and legs of insects. Most numerous were the remains of the Jerusalem cricket (_Stenopelmatus_), a flightless insect that the bats must have secured on the ground. Engler (1943: 96) found that in captivity, pallid bats would kill and eat smaller bats and lizards confined with them.

Bailey (1936: 392) believes that the young of this bat are born in late June and early July. One or two young constitute a litter.

=Ursus americanus= Pallas

Black bear

_Description._--The black bear is the largest carnivore found in Washington if the grizzly is extinct there. The exact size of the adult male black bear is somewhat in question. Few actual weights are on record of Washington bears. Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale (1937: 101) paid special attention to the maximum weight of black bears in California and concluded that few ever exceeded 500 pounds. The total length of the largest black bear among specimens from the entire Pacific Coastal area, especially from California and Alaska, they give as 5 feet, 10 inches (_op. cit._, p. 102). It may safely be assumed that few individuals ever reach a length of six feet. Females are smaller; recorded weights of adults rarely exceed 350 pounds. The largest males have hind feet from 10 to 10-1/2 inches in length.

The black bear, including its closely related species, the Mexican bear, _Ursus machetes_, ranges over Alaska, Canada, the United States and northern Mexico. The distinction between the black and grizzly bears has been listed under the account of _Ursus chelan_.

The fur of black bears in the Cascade Mountains in the fall is long, sleek and glossy but rather stiff. In the spring and early summer the fur of animals at Mount Rainier often appeared coarse, wooly and patchy or rubbed on older animals. Some smaller bears possessed sleek, well-groomed pelts. Bears from the lowland areas are said to possess poor pelts because of constant abrasion in the forests. In the fall, when the salmon are spawning, the bears are said by trappers to roll in decayed fish until they "smell so bad you can't come near them" and their fur is matted and "crawling with lice."

It is now known that the cinnamon bear, sometimes called brown bear, is merely a color phase of the black bear. The brown phase varies in color from a rich, dark reddish brown to a pale cinnamon brown. Cowan (1938: 204) has recorded the geographic variation in the brown and black coats of the bears of British Columbia and, in part, of Washington. On the Olympic Peninsula the brown phase is rare. Old residents have told me of seeing but a few brown bears in their life. I have seen only black bears in the lowlands of western Washington. Cowan (_loc. cit._) lists 1,197 black and 79 brown bears from Fort Nisqually, Pierce County, between 1834 and 1852. In the Cascade Mountains the brown phase is not uncommon, perhaps one out of five bears seen being brown. In northeastern Washington the brown and black phases are about equal in number, and some trappers state that the browns are more numerous. Cowan lists 3,813 black and 2,871 brown bears from Fort Colville between 1826 and 1856.

The black bear occurs in a variety of habitats in Washington. It seems to be absent only from the treeless areas of eastern Washington, and is most abundant in the Cascade Mountains and Olympic Mountains where food is abundant and men are few. It is not uncommon throughout the timbered lowlands of northeastern Washington and western Washington, however, and shows a surprising ability to exist unnoticed near the larger cities. In the dense, junglelike forests of southwestern Washington it is numerous. Jackson (1944: 1) estimates that 13,679 black bears live in Washington, more than in any other state.

The habits of the black bear have changed greatly where it has come into contact with man. At Mount Rainier National Park black bears now ignore people, save to beg for food. In the Cascades the bears are wild but so seldom see men that in many places they live much as they did hundreds of years ago. In the lowlands of western Washington they are in daily contact with evidence of man or his guns. As a result they are silent and shy, rarely being seen.

The black bear in the mountains is active sometimes by day and sometimes by night. Probably it is principally nocturnal but active by day only when the food obtained at night is insufficient to meet the needs of the animal. In the lowlands it is almost completely nocturnal. In the mountains it enters upon its winter sleep with the first snows or, if the snows are late, when the huckleberries are gone. Ordinarily black bears are in "hibernation" by the middle of November. In the lowlands of western Washington they are active until after the salmon spawning season, and probably do not "hibernate" before the middle of December and may not do so at all. In the mountains they emerge from the winter sleep in May; in the lowlands they emerge in February or March.

The black bear is omnivorous in the truest sense of the word. Because the animal is of large size it requires much nourishment. This is obtained by eating large quantities of material with low food value. Material eaten passes rapidly through the digestive tract and often only easily digested parts seem to be utilized. Feces commonly contain complete and undigested berries and seeds or almost undigested pieces of apples or other fruit.

The principal food of the black bear in Washington is berries. Many species are eaten, but the huckleberry (_Vaccinium_ sp.) is favored. Other food items are: _Gaultheria shallon_ (pulpy fruit); Oregon grape, _Berberis nervosa_ (flowers and fruit); salmonberry, _Rubus parviflorus_ (leaves and fruit); leaves of several plants, including _Rubus macropetalus_ and other thorny kinds; grass, succulent plants, and roots. Insects are eaten and most feces show remains of a few. In June, 1938, near Cle Elum, Kittitas County, a species of sword-tailed cricket fully two inches in length was abundant, and droppings of a bear there were composed entirely of the remains of these crickets. Fish, especially spawning salmon, are important food. When salmon are spawning the bears in the vicinity feed on nothing else. Warm-blooded vertebrates probably are eaten but none of the many bear droppings examined by me contained remains of birds or mammals. Bennett, English and Watts (1943: 30) found few mammals to be eaten by bears studied by them in Pennsylvania. Locally bears kill pigs and sheep, smash bee-hives and raid fruit trees.

The large size and sometimes awkward appearance of black bears combine to give a comic note to some of their natural actions. A bear in full flight, lumbering along a trail with head swinging from side to side and hind feet stretching past the forelegs at each stride, is more apt than not to amuse the observer. Near Stevens Pass, a large black bear was observed lying on its back in a mud wallow. This was an oval opening in the ground in a meadow of heather and huckleberry near a small stream. The wallow was approximately 5 feet long, 3 feet deep and 4 feet wide. The bear was immersed in muddy water with only its head and feet visible. It seemed well content and comfortable, shifting its bulk occasionally and waving its paws. When a stray breeze brought to the bear the scent of my companion and myself the animal's contentment vanished and it hastily made a frantic effort to depart. It had wedged itself deeply in the hole, and as it twisted and turned in attempting to sit up, waves of water gushed from the wallow. Eventually escaping from its wallow, the bear half ran and half rolled to the cover of alders 100 feet away. This particular wallow had been in use by bears for some time, as was attested by old droppings at its edge and by its well-worn condition.

The fact that Washington has the largest population of black bears of the states in the union is due, largely, I feel, to abundant natural cover, food, such as salmon and huckleberries, and an intelligent game code. In California and some other states the black bear has been considered a fur bearer, to be trapped with steel traps. This is permitted in spite of the fact that their pelts bring but a few dollars, usually less than ten. Their sale scarcely repays the trapper for his labor in preparing the hide. Townsend (1887: 182) remarked on the ease with which bears could be trapped in California although in the same area they were so shy that they could seldom be shot. As a result of trapping, the number of bears in some states has been dangerously reduced. In Washington the bear is a game animal, to be hunted with a rifle for a few weeks in the fall when the pelt and flesh are at their best. As a result bears are numerous and can be hunted with fair chances of success.

=Ursus americanus altifrontalis= Elliot

_Ursus altifrontalis_ Elliot, Field Columb. Mus. Publ. 80, zoöl.
ser. 3:234, June, 1903.

_Euarctos altifrontalis_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 128:90,
April 29, 1924.

_Ursus americanus americanus_ Taylor and Shaw, Mammals and Birds
of Mount Rainier National Park, U. S. Nat. Park Service,
Washington, p. 37, 1927.

_Euarctos americanus altifrontalis_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna,
55:321, August 29, 1936.

_Ursus americanus altifrontalis_ Hall, Univ. California Publ.
Zoöl., 30:232, March 2, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained at Lake Crescent, Olympic Peninsula, Clallam
County, Washington, by D. G. Elliot in 1898; type in Field Museum
of Natural History.

_Racial characters._--Color dark, almost always black instead of
brown; skull wide, high and heavy; molar teeth wide and heavy.

_Distribution._--From the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains
westward to the Pacific. Marginal occurrences are Chelan (W.W.D.)
and Signal Peak (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 10).

=Ursus americanus cinnamomum= Audubon and Bachman

_Ursus americanus var. cinnamomum_ Audubon and Bachman, Quadrupeds
of North America, 3:125, 1854.

_Euarctos cinnamomum_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 128:91, April
29, 1924.

_Euarctos americanus cinnamomum_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 55:319,
August 29, 1936.

_Ursus americanus cinnamomum_ Hall, Univ. California Publ. Zoöl.,
30:232, March 2, 1928.

_Type._--Obtained near the mouth of Jim Ford Creek, Lower
Clearwater River, western Idaho (Bailey, 1936: 319) by Lewis and
Clark on May 31, 1806.

_Racial characters._--Resembling _altifrontalis_ but skull and
molar teeth narrower; color even in black phase paler and browner;
brown and black phases of approximately equal incidence.

_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington and the Blue Mountains of
southeastern Washington, occurring westward as far as Republic
(Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 10).

=Ursus chelan= Merriam

Grizzly bear

_Ursus chelan_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 29:136,
September 6, 1916.

_Type._--Obtained in Township 30 N. Range 16 E. Willamette
Meridian, Wenatchee National Forest, Chelan County, Washington, by
D. S. Rice on September 1, 1913; type in United States National
Museum.

_Measurements._--The skull of the type, an old male, measures:
basal length 314; occipito-nasal length 323; palatal length 170;
zygomatic breadth 225; interorbital breadth 86.

_Distribution._--Probably once from the Stevens Pass area north to
British Columbia. Possibly still remaining in the mountains
between Mount Baker and Lake Chelan.

_Remarks._--Grizzly bears occurred in the lowlands of Oregon
(Bailey, 1936: 324) and California (Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale,
1937: 67) but there is no record of their ever having occurred in
the lowlands of western Washington.

Bears of the genus _Ursus_ range over Europe, Asia and North America. No less than 75 kinds of grizzly and big brown bears are recognized for North America by Merriam (1918). They are closely related to the brown bears of Asia. The 13 kinds of black bears of North America are now thought to belong to but one species, namely _americanus_, and have no close relatives in Eurasia.

The grizzly is the largest carnivorous mammal in North America. From the black bear the grizzly may be distinguished in life by the prominent muscular hump on the shoulders. Another feature is the long, slim, gently curved claws of the forefoot as compared with the shorter, stouter and sharply curved or hooked foreclaws of the black bear. The grizzly is much larger than the black bear. Cranially, the grizzly differs in possessing a larger skull with lower frontal area, higher, more extensive sagittal crest, more posteriorly jutting occipital condyles and much longer tooth row. The color of both species is variable. Some grizzly bears from Alaska and British Columbia are dark brown, almost as black as a black bear. Others are pale cinnamon with the longer guard hairs pale gray. Individuals of this frosted appearance popularly are known as "silver tips." In Washington, the black bear varies in color from glossy black, through various shades of brown to a pale cinnamon.

The grizzly bear is extinct over most of Washington. A few may remain in remote parts of the northern Cascades, and are regularly listed on the game census reports of the Mount Baker National Forest. Nevertheless, I have found no one who has seen an undoubted grizzly bear in Washington. The type specimen was obtained well up in the Cascade Mountains where the animals, like those in British Columbia, feed on roots, berries, marmots, pikas and other vegetable and animal life.

=Procyon lotor= (Linnaeus)

Raccoon

_Description._--The raccoon is a relatively large carnivore with a stout, heavy body. Large adults measure three feet in length and weigh up to 20 pounds. The legs are of moderate length. The broad head tapers sharply to a pointed muzzle. The ears are erect, broad, low and rounded; the tail is long, about one-half the length of the head and body, bushy and round; the hind feet are large, flat and naked-soled but the forefeet are smaller with long, slim, handlike toes. The color of the body is a grizzled gray heavily washed with black on the back and sides. A jet-black "mask" across the eyes, sharply outlined by white muzzle and forehead, is the most distinctive feature of the head. The tail is alternately marked with six or seven black and five or six yellowish gray bands. The long, loose guard hairs give the body a shaggy appearance. The fur of the wrists is short, smooth, coarse, and directed downward.

The raccoon is not an aquatic mammal, yet it is closely associated with water, whether it be streams, rivers, lakes or the ocean. The favored habitat of the raccoon is the shore line. It is a wader and, if it can be considered as specialized for any occupation, it is wading in mud and shallow water. Its long toes, naked feet, and short-haired wrists are admirable adapted for walking on muddy bottoms or in shallow water. The coon is also at home on land. It moves swiftly and silently and when chased by dogs can cover miles in a few hours. It is an agile climber and lives in dens well up in trees.

The raccoon is almost completely nocturnal. Individuals are occasionally seen in the morning or evening, especially, when the tide is low along the ocean beach or Puget Sound. Near Fall City, King County, a small raccoon was seen eating a crayfish at 3:30 p.m. on a warm, sunny June day. In the eastern United States raccoons sleep during much of the winter, and probably they do the same in eastern Washington. In western Washington they are active most of the winter. Some trappers stated that the animals "hole up" in spells of unusually cold weather. Along the Tolt River, 10 miles southeast of Duvall, King County, their tracks were seen daily in January, 1936, although the temperature fell well below freezing each night.

Washington is near the northern limit of the range of the raccoon. The animal is reasonably common in western Washington, and ranges well up into the Cascade Mountains. The highest altitudinal record available is Longmire, Mount Rainier National Park (Taylor and Shaw, 1927). Raccoons are not uncommon in southeastern Washington and in the Yakima Valley. They follow the Columbia River northward, as shown by tracks at Wenatchee on two occasions. The river valleys that flow into the Columbia in northeastern Washington seem admirably adapted for raccoons but the animal is rare there. Trappers who have lived and trapped in northeastern Washington for many years tell of seeing tracks at intervals of years along the Okanogan, San Poil, Colville and Kettle rivers. Several stated that tracks had been seen more often in recent years. Northeastern Washington seems to be the peripheral range of the species, occupied at rare intervals by animals wandering north from the Columbia River.

The food habits of raccoons are almost as varied as those of black bears. Animal matter forms their diet over most of the year; along stream courses crayfish, fish, thin-shelled fresh-water mussels, frogs (_Hyla_ and _Rana_), and aquatic insects are eaten. Along beaches fish brought in by the tide, crustaceans, and mussels (_Mytilus edulis_) are taken; small sharks appear not to be eaten. A recently dead dogfish that lay on the beach at Whidby Island, Island County, was ringed by the tracks of a raccoon but had not been eaten. The shore crabs (_Hemigrapsus nudus_ and _Hemigrapsus oregonensis_) are a favored food and regular items of diet. The edible crab (_Cancer productus_) is also eaten and in the San Juan Islands the porcelain crab (_Petrolisthes eriomerus_) was commonly eaten. Small mammals and birds are eaten regularly by this race of raccoon in California (Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale, 1937: 157), and the eggs and young of wild birds are sought in the spring (_op. cit._: 158). The ability of the raccoon as a climber makes it a particular menace to nesting birds. Berries, including domestic blackberries and salmonberries, are eaten in quantity when available. Apples are dearly loved and the trees and orchards of abandoned ranches are regularly visited. The fondness of the raccoon for green corn is well known. Insects are present in small quantities in most droppings and in the late summer some feces were composed entirely of the remains of grasshoppers. Chickens, ducks, young turkeys and eggs are stolen and individuals become extremely adept at raiding hen-houses.

At one time, about 1920, the raccoon became scarce in western Washington as a result of heavy trapping and high price of the pelts. A closed season was strictly enforced until it again became common. The price received by the trapper for raw furs of raccoon has since been rather low, from two to ten dollars. With fur prices in this range, the number of raccoons probably will not be reduced to a dangerously low level by trapping, but instead may be expected to furnish a regular winter income to the trappers who do trap for it.