Chapter IX: Part 9

_Description._--Adult males are 7 to 8 feet in length and females about 6 feet. Bulls weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, and females up to 600 pounds. Both fore and hind limbs are modified for swimming; they are flippers directed posteriorly. The body is cylindrical and streamlined, the neck thick and the head small. Adult males possess a high sagittal crest resulting in a high forehead. Eyes and ears are small. The reddish brown pelage is short and coarse. Females are darker than the males.

The California sea lion occurs along the Pacific Coast from Mexico to northern California and has been recorded from Oregon (Bailey, 1936: 332), Washington and British Columbia (Greenwood, Newcombe, and Fraser, 1918: 1-39). It is of rare or casual occurrence along the coast of Washington.

=Eumetopias jubata= (Schreber)

Steller sea lion

_Phoca jubata_ Schreber, Säugthiere, 3:300, 1776.

_Eumetopias Stelleri_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1884):607,
1885.

_Eumetopias jubata_ Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 16:113,
March 15, 1902.

_Type locality._--North Pacific Ocean.

_Distribution._--Ocean coast, breeding on small, rocky islets such
as the Quillayute Needles.

_Description._--The Steller sea lion resembles the California sea lion but is larger. Old bulls are from 10 to 12 feet in length and weigh from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds, perhaps even a ton. Females are 8 to 9 feet in length and may weigh up to 1000 pounds. The female Steller sea lion is nearly as large as the male of the California sea lion. The bull Steller sea lion lacks the high forehead characteristic of the California sea lion, and the body is heavier and stouter, especially in the neck and chest. Bulls are distinctly bicolored, the head, neck and chest being cinnamon and the rest of the body darker. Females are a uniform dark brown color. The Steller sea lion makes a loud, deep roaring sound.

Steller sea lions occur along the coast of Asia south to Japan and the coast of North America from the Bering Strait south to central California. The range thus meets and overlaps that of the California sea lion.

Steller sea lions are splendid swimmers and spend much of their time in the surf. They often lie in the water a few yards from where the waves pound some jagged cliff, retaining their dangerous position without discernible effort. They are curious and will raise their head and neck vertically out of the water to observe a passing boat. Much time is spent beneath the surface, presumably hunting fish. They sometimes leap up out of the water in an arching dive or may simply lower their heads beneath the surface and appear several minutes later at another place. They may come to the surface with a porpoiselike roll, breathe, and again dive. Many of their actions seem inspired by playfulness--a means of working off excess energy.

Sea lions haul out on a number of rocky islands along the coast. They are slow and clumsy on land. Their rear flippers can be directed forward and so give them some assistance in moving about. When startled they are able, with much struggling, to move with fair speed to the water. They can dive from considerable heights.

The studies of Greenwood, Newcombe and Fraser (1918: 1-39) show that the Steller sea lions eat a great variety of marine fish and other sea life. Included in their diet are squid, starfish, crabs, clams, mussels, salmon, herring, flounder, rock cod, sea bass and dogfish. They seem not to be selective in their food habits but eat the food most easily available at the time. Unfortunately this is occasionally salmon in nets or traps and for this reason fishermen usually kill sea lions on sight. The number of sea lions along the coast of Washington has been greatly reduced by shooting and dynamiting the animals on their hauling-out grounds. There is no doubt that sea lions do occasionally eat salmon, especially in traps or nets. They also become entangled in the nets, and damage them. On the other hand, investigations of their food habits have shown that they do not eat any great number of salmon or other important food fishes. They are a relatively harmless and exceedingly interesting animal and might well be preserved in numbers exceeding their present population.

Until relatively recent times the sea lion was an important source of food to the Indians living along the ocean coast. The bones of sea lions are often the most numerous vertebrate remains in shell mounds.

The Steller sea lion now breeds only in a few places along the coast of Washington. They are polygamous and each of the stronger bulls has eight or ten cows in his harem. Fierce battles between bulls are said to take place in the breeding season, late in May. A single pup is born after a gestation period of about one year. Pups are darker in color than adults.

=Callorhinus ursinus cynocephalus= (Walbaum)

Alaska fur seal

_Siren cynocephalus_ Walbaum, Petri Artedi Sueci Genera Pisc., p.
560, 1792.

_Callorhinus ursinus_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1884):607,
1885.

_Callorhinus alascanus_ Jordan and Clark, Fur Seals and Fur Seal
Islands of the North Pacific, pt. 3, p. 2, November, 1899.

_Callotaria ursina cynocephala_ Stejneger, George Wilhelm Steller,
Harvard Univ. Press, p. 285, 1936.

_Type locality._--Pribilof Islands, Alaska.

_Distribution._--Breeds on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Abundant
off the coast of Washington on migration.

_Description._--The difference in the size of male and female fur seals is great. Males are about 8 feet in length when fully grown but the females are only about 4 feet long. Males weigh up to 700 pounds but females only about 100 pounds. In general appearance the fur seal resembles the sea lion but the fur is longer, denser and softer. Males are very dark brown in color. Females and young are grayish brown. The fur seal, like the sea lion, can reverse its hind flippers and use them to a certain extent in walking.

The Alaskan fur seal breeds on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. The seals emerge from the water to certain favored hauling-out places in May and June. They leave the Islands in November to begin their long migration. The bulls spend the winter off the coast of Alaska south of the Aleutians but the females and young travel south to the ocean off California. In the spring they start north, arriving off the coast of Washington in February, March and April. Young, rarely adults, are washed up on the ocean beaches of Washington (Scheffer, 1939: 43).

The United States Government, by international treaty, manages the fur seal herds on a sustained yield basis and pelagic sealing by independent hunters is prohibited. Indians are allowed to take the fur seals on migration but are subject to certain restrictions. Modern boats, outboard motors and guns are prohibited. Indians living on the coast of Washington hunt the fur seals from dugout canoes. The weapons are double-headed harpoons with long cedar shafts. One harpoon head is at the tip of the shaft and the other is on a short fork that projects downward and forward at a 30° angle from the main shaft. The harpoon is thrown with the aid of hand grips at the end of the shaft. The seal is recovered by rawhide lines connected to the harpoon heads. The hunters leave shore at dawn and travel ten to twenty miles from land, at which distance the seal herds are usually encountered. The hunting is dangerous work and is carried on only by skilled and brave men. Relatively calm weather is required. The flesh of the seals is eaten and the skins sold.

Schultz and Rafn (1936: 13-15) examined the stomachs of 41 fur seals taken within 30 miles of La Push, Washington, in March, April and May, 1930. Food found included squids, shrimps, herring and lampreys.

=Phoca vitulina richardii= (Gray)

Hair seal or harbor seal

_Halicyon richardii_ Gray, Proc. Zoöl. Soc. London, p. 28, 1864.

_Phoca richardii_ Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 16:491,
December 12, 1902.

_Phoca richardii richardii_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
128:164, April 29, 1924.

_Phoca vitulina richardii_ Doutt, Ann. Carnegie Mus., 29:117, May
12, 1942.

_Type._--Described from a specimen obtained at the Fraser River,
British Columbia, probably on March 23, 1861, by C. B. Wood and
another obtained by Wood at Queen Charlotte Sound, British
Columbia, in 1862 (see Scheffer and Slipp, 1944: 374); type in
British Museum of Natural History.

_Distribution._--Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the
coast of Washington, extending at times up the Columbia River to
The Dalles. Has been recorded in Lake Washington, Seattle (Bonham,
1942: 76).

_Description._--Adults are about 5 feet in length and weigh up to 250 pounds; males are approximately a quarter larger than females. The hair seals differ from the sea lions and fur seals in a number of respects. The body is widest in the midsection rather than in the chest. The neck is short and slim. The eyes are large and there are no external ears. The hind flippers are not reversible but are permanently directed posteriorly. The pelage is short, stiff, and directed posteriorly. The ground color is silver gray or yellow; usually it is yellow, blotched and marbled with black, dusky or gray.

Hair seals range over the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, occurring southward along the Pacific Coast of North America to central Mexico. Six races are recognized by Doutt (1942: 115).

The hair seal is the common seal in Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan De Fuca and on the ocean coast. Scheffer and Slipp (1944: 373) estimate that 5,000 live along the coast of Washington. Hair seals are social to some degree but are often seen singly. In Puget Sound, where there are relatively few hauling-out areas, they rarely leave the water but on the ocean coast they emerge to bask on the reefs. On Destruction Island, Jefferson County, V. B. Scheffer and I watched a herd of about 20 animals that lay on a reef exposed by low tide. According to the lighthouse keeper the reef was occupied daily by these seals. Scheffer and Slipp (_loc. cit._, p. 388) report herds of up to 200 hair seals. In Puget Sound 10 to 20 seals seem to be the usual number in a herd, but occasionally there are as many as 50.

Hair seals often exhibit curiosity concerning small boats; the seals lie in the water with only their round heads above the surface, staring at the boat for many minutes. Constant shooting has made them shy and any quick movement will cause them to dive; several dived instantly when I pointed either a stick or gun at them.

Hair seals are less spectacular than sea lions. When basking on rocks the seals are silent. When an observer is yet a long distance away the seals raise their small heads and remain on the alert. When they take to the water, they travel with a jerking motion. In the water one rarely sees more than their heads. When they dive they usually sink below the surface, never making the spectacular arching dive so typical of the sea lions.

At Useless Bay, Whidby Island, Island County, a herd of five or six hair seals was studied in July, 1936. These animals played and slept in the shallow water beneath a high, forested bluff and could be watched from the bluff above. The seals seemed to gather here in the early afternoon. Much of their time was spent sleeping on the surface with the body in a bowed position and drifting freely. Occasional waving of the rear flippers kept them from drifting away. They played a great deal, splashing, diving and swimming in circles or spirals. Occasionally one would dive down to swim slowly along just above the bottom. At times one would put on a sudden burst of speed, apparently in pursuit of some fish, rarely continued for more than 30 or 40 feet after which the seal usually rose to the surface to resume play. Never did I see one with a fish in its mouth and these pursuits, if pursuits they were, seemed to have been prompted more by a spirit of play than by hunger.

A young seal was kept as a pet for several weeks at Friday Harbor, San Juan County. It was tame and affectionate but decidedly temperamental. It demanded constant attention and whimpered, cried or moaned if left alone. It was more active by night than by day and made a characteristic mooing cry, which continued at intervals throughout the night. This habit led to its eventual disposal. The temper of this young seal was shown by its actions when it encountered strands of kelp while swimming. If the kelp strands held back its progress it would turn back, seize the kelp in its teeth and bite viciously. Never did it attempt to bite persons.

The hair seal was generally thought to feed almost exclusively on salmon, but the work of Scheffer (1928: 10-16) showed this view to be incorrect. Of 14 hair seal stomachs examined, all of which were full, only two contained salmon. In a later study (Scheffer and Sperry, 1931: 214-226), only two of 100 stomachs examined contained salmon. Other food items were tomcod, flounder, sculpin, herring, shiner, hake, skate, blenny, unidentified fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, crab and starfish. In spite of Scheffer's work, hair seals are killed at every opportunity by fisherman and boatman. Bounties were paid on their scalps for many years, and more than 1,000 bounties were paid for each of several years previous to 1930. Their small, round heads bobbing on the waves offer a poor target and many seals, after having been fired at, become extremely shy. They seem to be holding their own in numbers at the present time.

Scheffer and Slipp (1944: 401) found that the young were born in late May along the ocean coast and in June and July in Puget Sound. The young seal mentioned as having been kept captive at Friday Harbor was obtained from an Indian on July 26, 1938, and was said to be two weeks old at the time. The Indian said that he had watched the birth of the young and then killed the mother for bounty. On July 28 the young seal weighed approximately 20 pounds and was in good health. The seal could swim well. It was said to have been born "on the rocks" at Long Island, San Juan County. The seal drank milk from a baby's bottle but refused fresh scallops, clams and fish of several species. When put into a large, screened box sunk in the water it at once investigated the other animals in the box. It showed no fear of a large bull cod weighing 50 pounds, or of a 20-pound skate and several sharks 5 feet long but seemed to be frightened by a large octopus weighing about 30 pounds. In swimming, the front flippers were held flat against the body and the actual swimming was accomplished by the vertically-held rear flippers and the rapid swinging of the hips. Its eyes were very dark brown, almost black, but soft and appealing. The bases of the vibrissae were thick and soft. The belly was silvery white and unspotted. The sides and back were iron gray spotted with dark, bluish gray, the whole overlaid with a silvery tint. The claws were long, round, and sharply pointed.

When sleeping, the seal usually lay on its side, occasionally upon its back or belly. The front flippers were held tight to its sides but the back flippers were held straight back with the digits bent inward at right angles and laid so that the right digits were against the left. In moving on land the front flippers were folded into fists and used to push the animal forward while the body was moved by snakelike motions of the hips. It breathed in short gasps.

Genus =Tamias= Illiger

Chipmunks

The chipmunks of Asia and western North America have usually been separated under the generic name _Eutamias_ from those of the genus _Tamias_ of eastern America. Ellerman (1940: 428) placed both in the same genus and Bryant (1945: 257-390) reached the same conclusions after intensive study of American sciurids. Bryant's treatment is followed here. The sciurid genera as they occur in Washington, are listed by Bryant as follows: _Tamias_, _Marmota_, _Citellus_, _Sciurus_, _Tamiasciurus_, _Glaucomys_. This order, rather than that of Miller (1924) is used here. Four species of _Tamias_ are listed for Washington: _minimus_ represented by two subspecies; _amoenus_, by six; _ruficaudus_ by one; and _townsendii_, by two.

Chipmunks from Washington vary in size from less than 8 inches in total length to more than 10 inches in total length. Some race of chipmunk occurs in almost every part of Washington. Their striped color pattern serves as a universal recognition mark. The somewhat similarly striped mantled ground squirrel is often mistakenly called chipmunk. The mantled ground squirrel is larger than any chipmunk, has but two dark stripes as compared with five dark stripes of chipmunks, and has a plain, reddish head unlike the distinctly striped head of _Tamias_.

Like most members of the squirrel family, chipmunks are active by day and are therefore better known to man than are most of the other kinds of small mammals, most of which are nocturnal. The attractive color and sprightly actions of chipmunks make them a delightful feature of the outdoors. They feed on fruit, seeds, and fungus and eagerly eat food that can be begged or stolen from man. They have been known to kill mice and they have been accused of destroying nests and eggs of birds. They often eat insects and occasionally eat the flesh of mice or other chipmunks held in collector's traps.

Chipmunks climb trees and bushes readily but only _townsendii_ can be called arboreal, and even it prefers to climb on stumps and dead trunks rather than in living trees. All species are fond of climbing about rocky outcrops and talus slides.

The call of the chipmunks is a birdlike cheep. In _minimus_ it is shrill and uttered rapidly, but it is low-pitched and is uttered by _townsendii_ with longer intervals between the notes. The call of _amoenus_ is of an intermediate nature.

Young of chipmunks vary in number from four to six. Nests are constructed of dry grass and are placed under rocks, logs, and in burrows in the ground. There are four pairs of mammae, one pectoral, two abdominal, and one inguinal.

=Tamias minimus= Bachman

Least chipmunk

_Description._--The least chipmunk is the smallest chipmunk found in Washington. The head and body of adults measure about 3-1/2 inches; the tail about 3-1/2 inches. Its fur is short and sleek. The dorsal stripe is black; the upper pale stripe is buffy gray; the lower dark stripe is rich brown; the lower stripe is white. The sides are pale buff and the head, rump and thighs are buffy gray. The tail is brownish above, yellowish beneath.

_Tamias minimus_ has a wide range, being found from the Cascade-Sierra Nevada Chain to the Great Lakes and from northern Canada to central Arizona and New Mexico. Two races occur in Washington, both in the sagebrush desert area.

Least chipmunks are only locally common in Washington. I have found them in areas where the soil was firmly packed and sagebrush the dominant vegetation. All were far from water. Two miles west of Vantage, Kittitas County, several were found near an old sheep corral, where one took shelter in a pile of boards. In my experience, least chipmunks are wary and difficult to collect. Many times as I crept silently through the sagebrush chipmunk after chipmunk scampered with tail aloft into a hole at the base of same sage bush, each far out of gunshot, voicing alarmed chirps. The extreme caution of least chipmunks, as compared with other species, is doubtless a necessary adaptation to living in an exposed situation. The open sagebrush desert is a favored hunting place of hawks and eagles; also coyotes, wildcats, and badgers sometimes abound there. All these probably find the least chipmunk a suitable food item and only the most cautious chipmunk survives to reproduce. The least chipmunk has been timed at a speed of 10 miles per hour (Cottam and Williams, 1943: 262).

The food of the least chipmunk in eastern Washington is almost entirely seeds of the annuals that flourish briefly in the spring. Insects probably are eaten and one specimen had the remains of two scorpions in its stomach.

=Tamias minimus scrutator= (Hall and Hatfield)

_Eutamias minimus pictus_ Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 52:39, November
30, 1929.

_Eutamias minimus scrutator_ Hall and Hatfield, Univ. California
Publ. Zoöl., 40:321, February 12, 1934.

_Tamias minimus scrutator_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained near Blanco Mountain, 10500 ft. elevation, Mono
County, California, by J. Grinnell on July 28, 1917; type in Museum
of Vertebrate Zoölogy.

_Racial characters._--Buffy color; wide dark stripes and narrow
pale stripes.

_Measurements._--A male and a female from Sunnyside, Yakima
County, measure respectively; total length 186, 186; length of
tail 81, 82; hind foot 31, 31; ear 9, 10.

_Distribution._--The sagebrush areas west of the Columbia River.
Present in scattered and widely separated areas, ranging,
according to Howell (1929: 41), north to Ellensburg and south to
Wiley City.

This species is a member of the Great Basin Fauna that entered the
state from Oregon. The population in Washington is now isolated
north and west of the Columbia River but seems not to differ from
least chipmunks from Oregon and Nevada.

=Tamias minimus grisescens= (Howell)

_Eutamias minimus grisescens_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 6:52, February
9, 1925.

_Tamias minimus grisescens_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 431, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Farmer, Douglas County, Washington, by J. A.
Loring, on July 31, 1897; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Similar to _scrutator_ but smaller; more
grayish, less buffy in color, dark stripes narrower and pale
stripes wider.

_Measurements._--Seven topotypes and near topotypes average: Total
length 177; length of tail 78.7; hind foot 26.8; ear 10.6.

_Distribution._--Known only from the Columbian Plateau. This race
is rare and though we hunted for it in localities where specimens
have been collected, including the type locality, it was found but
twice. Ranchers living in the area know the chipmunk but see
individuals only occasionally. Marginal occurrences are Douglas
(Howell, 1929: 41), Vantage (V. B. S.) and Pasco (Howell, 1929:
41).

_Remarks._--The geographic range of this race is separated from that of _scrutator_ by the Columbia River and many miles of country uninhabited by chipmunks of this species.

=Tamias amoenus= Allen

Yellow-pine chipmunk

_Description._--The yellow-pine chipmunk resembles the least chipmunk but is larger. The underside of the tail is more ochraceous, less yellowish. The color of the sides varies considerably in the various races. The stripes are narrow and sharply delineated, the dorsal one being black. Next lower is a grayish stripe, followed by one of brownish black. The lower stripe is white. The underparts, in most races, are white but in _luteiventris_ are buffy.

The geographic range of the species is west of the Great Plains from central British Columbia to central California. There are twelve races, six of them occurring in Washington.

The yellow-pine chipmunk is a small animal, being but little larger than the least chipmunk, and much smaller than _townsendii_. Externally it may be separated from the Townsend chipmunk by its small size, sleek, appressed pelage and brighter color. Separation from _minimus_ is more difficult but, in the Washington races of _minimus_, the colored fur of the underside of the tail is pale yellowish while in _amoenus_ it is more ochraceous or buffy. So far as is known, the two species do not occur together in Washington.

The yellow-pine chipmunks live in open woods, brushy areas, clearings, and rocky outcrops. Suitable conditions are abundant in mountainous areas and the distribution of mountain ranges affects the distribution of these chipmunks. Where yellow pine forests descend to relatively low altitudes, the chipmunks enter the lowlands. Such conditions are present in some places along the eastern base of the Cascades, the inter-mountain river valleys of northeastern Washington, and along the central-eastern border of the state.

Yellow-pine chipmunks are sprightly and active. They seem always to be moving restlessly about, running, investigating for food, and watching for enemies. They are far tamer than the least chipmunks, usually allowing the observer to approach within twenty feet or closer. Some, after coaxing, will take food from a person's hand.

Near Stevens Pass, King County, numbers of _Tamias townsendii cooperi_ and _Tamias amoenus ludibundus_, apparently on good terms, were feeding together on blue huckleberries which grew in abundance on an extensive snowslide area. The yellow-pine chipmunks had been drawn from surrounding open areas by the berries, while the Townsend chipmunks had been attracted from the forest by the same food. The nervous movements of _amoenus_ contrasted strongly with the more sedate behavior of _townsendii_. At the observer's close approach the yellow-pine chipmunks went scampering off through the brush and tangles of logs and branches, to emerge again and watch from a hundred feet away. The same individuals, when repeatedly followed, always remained in sight. Most of the Townsend chipmunks, when frightened, ran into the nearest dense cover and vanished, not to appear again. A goodly number, perhaps ten per cent, climbed high up in fir trees. None of the yellow-pine chipmunks took refuge in trees.

The yellow-pine chipmunk is usually found at considerable altitude and consequently there is deep snow and bitter cold in winter where it lives. Hibernation is probably complete. Seemingly these chipmunks depend on stored food rather than on accumulated fat to tide them over the winter, for animals collected in autumn are no fatter than those taken in the spring. Svihla (1936B: 290) found that _Tamias a. canicaudus_, hibernating in captivity at Pullman, Whitman County, awoke at intervals to eat stored food. The time of retirement of yellow-pine chipmunks for the winter seems to coincide with the coming of winter weather. In mid-November of one year, when no snow had yet fallen in the Cascades, yellow-pine chipmunks were common near Stevens Pass, although their actions were noticeably slow. In another autumn, when the winter snows came early, I looked in vain for chipmunks in October where they had been common earlier. George C. Cantwell noted a yellow-pine chipmunk at Republic, Ferry County, on November 9, 1903, after the ground was "well frozen," but apparently free of snow (Howell, 1929: 7). Like other species that hibernate, they, at times, seem to become active in winter; J. B. Flett reported seeing a yellow-pine chipmunk at Longmire, Mt. Rainier, on February 14, 1920, and again on March 31 (Howell, _loc. cit._, p. 7). At Deer Park, Clallam County, at timber-line, several _Tamias townsendii cooperi_ were active in early April, 1938, but only one _Tamias amoenus_ was seen. In the previous June they were abundant there and _townsendii_ was scarce.

I have watched these chipmunks eat the berries of the red huckleberry (_Vaccinium parvifolium_), salmonberry (_Rubus spectabilis_), thimbleberry (_Rubus parviflorus_), devil's club (_Fatsia horrida_), and mountain ash (_Sorbus cascadensis_ and _S. occidentalis_). Of these, the blue huckleberry (_Vaccinum occidentale_ and _V. membranaceum_) are probably the most important to the chipmunks. At Sherman Creek Pass, in the Kettle River Mountains, Ferry County, I watched a pika (_Ochotona_) busily harvesting wild raspberry plants (_Rubus leucodermis_), and laying them in a pile under a rock. A yellow-pine chipmunk waited under the rock and ate the ripe berries from each branch as it was laid away.

A brood nest of the yellow-pine chipmunk was discovered by Shaw (1944: 274) at Hurricane Ridge, Clallam County. The entrance was a hole 1-1/2 inches in diameter constructed among the grass and alpine flowers of a meadow at 6,450 feet elevation. The burrow itself was 2 inches in diameter, and had a turning-around pocket 9 inches from the entrance. The nest was situated just beneath the sod, 4 feet from the entrance. The nest chamber was 7 inches high by 7-1/2 inches in diameter and in the shape of a "round-bottomed flask." It was filled snugly with nest material composed of a grasslike sedge (_Carex spectabilis_) mixed with feathers of the blue grouse. Earth excavated from the nest cavity had been forced upwards through the sod in the manner of a mole in forming mounds. The single burrow was unbranched. Seven young of about 16 to 18 days of age were found in the nest.

=Tamias amoenus caurinus= (Merriam)

_Eutamias caurinus_ Merriam, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p.
352, October 4, 1898.

_Eutamias amoenus caurinus_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August 4,
1922.

_Tamias amoenus caurinus_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at timber-line, head of Sol Duc River, Olympic
Mountains, Clallam County, Washington, by C. H. Merriam and Vernon
Bailey on August 27, 1897; type in United States National Museum.

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

_Measurements._--Seven males and 3 females from Deer Park, Clallam
County, average: total length 207.4; length of tail 93.2; hind foot
32.5; ear 16.

_Distribution._--Higher parts of the Olympic Mountains, from Deer
Park (W. W. D.) south to head of Dosewallips River (Howell,
1929:77).

=Tamias amoenus felix= Rhoads

_Tamias quadrivittatus felix_ Rhoads, Amer. Nat., 29:941, October,
1895.

_Eutamias quadrivittatus felix_ Miller and Rehn, Proc. Boston Soc.
Nat. Hist., 30:44, December 27, 1901.

_Eutamias amoenus felix_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August 4,
1922.

_Tamias amoenus felix_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Church Mountain, British Columbia, near the
United States boundary by Allan Brooks on August 13, 1895; type in
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.

_Racial characters._--Large size and rich, dark color.

_Measurements._--Ten topotypes average: total length 224.7; length
of tail 98.8; hind foot 34.1; ear 14.4.

_Distribution._--The extreme northwestern Cascades, north and west
of Mt. Baker.

_Remarks._--This richly-colored coastal race barely enters Washington. It is abundant near Goldrun Pass and Tomyhoi Lake, Whatcom County, just south of the international boundary.

=Tamias amoenus ludibundus= (Hollister)

_Eutamias ludibundus_ Hollister, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 56 (no.
26):1, December 5, 1911.

_Eutamias amoenus ludibundus_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August
4, 1922.

_Tamias amoenus ludibundus_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Yellowhead Lake, 3,700 ft., British Columbia,
by N. Hollister on August 29, 1911; type in United States National
Museum.

_Racial characters._--Moderate size, brownish rump, ochraceous
sides.

_Measurements._--Five males and 4 females from the higher parts of
the Cascades average, respectively: total length 210, 217; length
of tail 89, 90; hind foot 33, 33; ear 17.4, 16.7; weight 50, 59.7
grams.

_Distribution._--The higher Cascade Mountains. Marginal records
are: Barron (Howell, 1929:75), Lyman Lake (Howell, 1929:75),
Cascade Tunnel (W. W. D.), Mt. Stuart (W. W. D.), Lake Kachees (W.
W. D.), Boulder Cave (W. W. D.), and Mt. St. Helens (Howell,
1929:75).

_Remarks._--At the higher altitudes this race seems to be the
equivalent of _affinis_. The latter race lives in relatively arid
yellow pine forests and _ludibundus_ occupies more moist and
varied habitats higher in the mountains.

=Tamias amoenus affinis= Allen

_Tamias quadrivittatus affinis_ Allen, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull.,
3:103, June, 1890.

_Eutamias quadrivittatus affinis_ Miller and Rehn, Proc. Boston
Soc. Nat. Hist., 30:44, December 27, 1901.

_Eutamias amoenus affinis_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August 4,
1922.

_Tamias amoenus affinis_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Ashcroft, British Columbia, by C. P. Streator
on July 3, 1889; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Small size, grayish color including rump,
and white underparts.

_Measurements._--Fourteen males and 7 females from Washington
average: total length 201.5; length of tail 86.5; hind foot 31.7;
ear 17.2.

_Distribution._--The eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains.
Marginal records on the west are: Bald Mountain (Howell, 1929:73),
Mazama (Howell, 1929:73), Hart Lake (Howell, 1929:73), Lake
Wenatchee (W. W. D.), 10 mi. S. Dryden (W. W. D.), Blewett Pass
(W. W. D.), 10 mi. N. W. Ellensburg (W. W. D.), Wenas Creek (W. W.
D.), Mt. Adams (Howell, 1929:73), and Lyle (Howell, 1929:73).
Marginal occurrences on the east are: Mt. Chopaka (Howell,
1929:73), 20 mi. E. Tonasket (W. W. D.) and Omak Lake (Howell,
1929:73).

=Tamias amoenus canicaudus= (Merriam)

_Eutamias canicaudus_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 16:77,
May 29, 1903.

_Eutamias amoenus_ canicaudus Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August
4, 1922.

_Tamias amoenus canicaudus_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Spokane, Spokane County, Washington, by C. P.
Streator, on April 11, 1891; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Large size, pale color, grayish tail, white
or buffy underparts.

_Measurements._--Thirteen topotypes average: total length 227.2;
length of tail 104.4; hind foot 33.7; ear 14.

_Distribution._--The pine-covered lowlands along the
central-eastern border of the state, ranging, according to Howell
(1929: 71), from Spokane County south to Pullman.

=Tamias amoenus luteiventris= Allen

_Tamias quadrivittatus luteiventris_ Allen, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.
Bull., 3:101, June, 1890.

_Eutamias quadrivittatus luteiventris_ Miller and Rehn, Proc.
Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 30:44, December 27, 1901.

_Eutamias amoenus luteiventris_, Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:179,
August 4, 1922.

_Tamias amoenus luteiventris_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 432, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Chief Mountain Lake (Waterton Lake), Alberta
(3-1/2 mi. N. United States boundary) by Elliott Coues on August
24, 1874; type in United States National Museum.

_Racial characters._--Small size, rich color, buffy underparts.

_Measurements._--Twelve males and 12 females from the Blue
Mountains, Columbia County, average respectively: total length
212, 219; length of tail 96.7, 101; hind foot 31.7, 32.5; ear
17.3, 18; weight 46.5, 52.8 grams.

_Distribution._--The Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington,
and the Pend Oreille Mountains of northeastern Washington, west to
Eureka, in the Kettle River Mountains, Ferry County (Howell, 1929:
69), and south to Newport (W. W. D.).

=Tamias ruficaudus simulans= (Howell)

Red-tailed chipmunk

_Eutamias ruficaudus simulans_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:179, August
4, 1922.

_Tamias ruficaudus simulans_ Ellerman, Fam. and Genera of Living
Rodents, British Mus. Nat. Hist., p. 434, June 8, 1940.

_Type._--Obtained at Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho, by C.
P. Streator on June 1, 1891.

_Measurements._--Six males and 3 females from northeastern
Washington average: total length 234; length of tail 109; hind
foot 31.6; ear 18.

_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington, reported from Pend
Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties by Howell (1929: 98).

_Description._--The red-tailed chipmunk closely resembles _Tamias amoenus_. From _T. a. luteiventris_ and _T. a. canicaudus_ it differs principally in larger size, wider brain case and especially in its pure white underparts. From _T. a. affinis_ it differs in richer coloration, especially the brownish rather than gray rump. The differences separating it from _amoenus_ are slight, and only adult specimens can be identified in the field.

According to Howell (1929: 81) this species occurs in northern Idaho, western Montana, northeastern Washington, southeastern British Columbia and extreme southwestern Alberta. Two subspecies are recognized, only one of which occurs in Washington.

A number of large, white-bellied chipmunks have been taken in northeastern Washington that answer well to the description of _ruficaudus_. Also, there are a number of specimens that I cannot definitely identify as either _amoenus_ or _ruficaudus_. Some buff-bellied chipmunks from Idaho are as large, and possess brain cases as wide, as specimens from Washington unhesitatingly called _ruficaudus_, while some white-bellied individuals match _amoenus luteiventris_ in all other characters. When all the specimens available from Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties are separated into _amoenus_ and _ruficaudus_ and the skulls are examined, it is noticeable that all the _ruficaudus_ are old, fully adult animals and that most of the _amoenus_ are younger, showing less wear on the teeth. Perhaps the buffy underparts are lost with increasing age.

This leads to the suspicion that _ruficaudus_, as applied to chipmunks in Washington, is a synonym of _amoenus_. Until considerable material is collected in northeastern Washington, showing individual and age variation, it seems best to retain the name _ruficaudus_.

Most of the specimens referable to _ruficaudus_ were taken in talus slides high in the Pend Oreille Mountains. A smaller series was collected at a lower altitude in open pine forests near Pend Oreille Lakes, Stevens County. I could detect no difference between _amoenus_ and _ruficaudus_ in habitat or habits.

=Tamias townsendii= Bachman

Townsend chipmunk

_Description._--The Townsend chipmunk is the largest of the chipmunks that occur in Washington. Head and body measure about 5-1/2 inches; the tail about 4-1/2 inches. The fur of the Townsend chipmunk is more lax and less sleek than that of other species. The upper parts are duller and darker ochraceous. Stripes are wide and not sharply delineated. The dark stripes are deep chestnut or blackish. The upper pale stripe is pale buffy gray; the lower is whitish. The tail is blackish frosted with white above and rich ochraceous below. Underparts are dull white.

The Townsend chipmunk ranges from the Fraser River in southern British Columbia through western Washington and Oregon, to central California. Like other members of the Pacific Coastal Fauna which extend southward to California, its geographic range extends farther inland to the south and geographic variation is greater; 3 races are listed by Johnson (1943: 114) in California.

The Townsend chipmunk is the largest and darkest chipmunk in Washington. Over much of its range it is the only chipmunk found although in some mountainous areas both _townsendii_ and _amoenus_ occur together. The larger size and richer coloration, especially the rich tawny color of the underside of the tail, separate Townsend chipmunks from _amoenus_.

Townsend chipmunks are closely associated with the coniferous forest where they live in clearings and tangles of underbrush such as on steep hillsides, fire slashings, snowslide areas or mountain glades. Though capable of swift movement, they are less nervous and active than other chipmunks. Rarely are they as abundant, even locally, as other species, and the home range of an individual seems to be larger than that of an _amoenus_ or a _minimus_. Rarely are more than two seen in a locality. Their more sedentary habits make them less conspicuous than other species. In the fall, when berries are dried out and seeds are ripe, they are most often seen. The Townsend chipmunk seems to be the most arboreal species found in Washington and individuals are not uncommonly seen in trees.

The brushy cover inhabited by Townsend chipmunks protects them from most hawks while their diurnal habits prevent owls from feeding on them. Predatory mammals probably constitute their greatest menace. A weasel (_Mustela frenata_) was seen to follow a Townsend chipmunk into a pile of timbers near Cottage Lake, King County, and another was seen carrying a dead Townsend chipmunk at Stevens Pass, King County. Tracks around an area of blood and fur showed where a mink (_Mustela vison_) had killed a Townsend chipmunk near Cottage Lake, King County.

Shaw (1944: 278) discovered the brood nest of a Townsend chipmunk on Hurricane Ridge, Clallam County, 4,500 feet elevation. The burrow was in a cool, damp area among surface runs of moles (_Scapanus_), and led to an underground nest among the roots of a tree. The nest was formed of the gray, moss-like lichen (_Usnea_), lined within with sedge leaves (_Carex spectabilis_) and covered outside with leaves of the same sedge. A turning-about chamber was constructed near the entrance. The burrow was single and not branched. Three young, only two or three days old, were in the nest.

=Tamias townsendii townsendii= Bachman

_Tamias townsendii_ Bachman, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 8
(pt. 1):68, 1839.

_Tamias quadrivittatus townsendii_ Allen, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat.
Hist., 16:290, 1874.

_Tamias asiaticus_ var. _townsendii_ Allen, Monog. N. Amer.
Rodentia, Rept. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., 11:794, 1877.

_Eutamias townsendii_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
11:195, July 1, 1897.

_Type._--Lectotype obtained near the lower mouth of the Willamette
River, Multnomah County, Oregon, by J. K. Townsend in 1834; in
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.

_Racial Characters._--Color of sides rich tawny; dark stripes
black or dark brown, and pale stripes cinnamon; underside of tail
tawny.

_Measurements._--Fifteen males and 10 females from western
Washington average, respectively: total length 254.7, 258.6;
length of tail 116, 122; hind foot 36.7, 37.1; ear 20.5, 20.4;
weight 72, 81.2 grams.

_Distribution._--The humid coastal belt of western Washington,
from the western base of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific,
exclusive of the Olympic Mountains. When A. H. Howell revised the
chipmunks in 1929, he employed a concept of a subspecies different
from the writer's own. The locality records listed by Howell
(1929: 109-112) for _Tamias townsendii townsendii_ and _T. t.
cooperi_ are not in agreement with Howell's own distribution map
(_op. cit._: 107). When the localities listed by Howell are
plotted on a map of Washington, the ranges of the two races
overlap in some critical areas. Not all of the material examined
by Howell was seen by the writer, and, consequently, the ranges
shown in Fig. 83 are plotted, in part, on geographic grounds.

Marginal localities on the east, so plotted, for _T. t.
townsendii_, are: Hamilton (U. S. N. M.), 5 mi. E. Monroe (W. W.
D.), Redmond (W. W. D.), Roy (U. S. N. M.), and Vancouver (U. S.
N. M.).

=Tamias townsendii cooperi= Baird

_Tamias cooperi_ Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 7:334,
1855.

_Tamias townsendii_ var. _cooperi_ Baird, Mamm. N. Amer., p. 737,
1857.

_Eutamias cooperi_ Lyon, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 50:89, June 27,
1907.

_Eutamias townsendii cooperi_ Howell, Jour. Mamm., 3:184, August
4, 1922.

_Type._--Cotypes obtained at Klickitat Pass, 4,500 ft., Skamania
County, Washington, by J. S. Cooper in July, 1853; in United States
National Museum.

_Racial Characters._--Similar to _T. t. townsendii_ but paler with
pale stripes whitish rather than cinnamon.

_Measurements._--Ten males and 10 females from the Cascades
average, respectively: total length 246.4, 246.8; length of tail
111.7, 107.6; hind foot 35, 35.4; ear 20, 20; weight 77, 89.9
grams.

_Distribution._--The higher and eastern Cascade Mountains and the
Olympic Mountains. Marginal localities along the Cascades probably
include: Swamp Creek (U. S. N. M.), Index (W. S. C.), North Bend
(U. S. N. M.), Mt. St. Helens (U. S. N. M.), and Yacolt (M. V.
Z.).

=Marmota monax petrensis= Howell

Woodchuck

_Marmota monax petrensis_ Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 37:33, April 7,
1915.

_Type._--Obtained at Revelstoke, British Columbia, by W.
Spreadborough on May 12, 1890; type in United States National
Museum.

_Measurements._--Howell (1915: 33) gives the measurements of an
adult male (the type) as: total length 540; length of tail 127;
hind foot 76. An adult female from Barkerville, British Columbia,
measured: total length 505; length of tail 125; and hind foot 68.

_Distribution._--The Pend Oreille Mountains, Pend Oreille County.
The woodchuck was seen and positively identified in northeastern
Washington but no specimens were collected.

_Description._--The woodchuck is the smallest member of the genus _Marmota_ that occurs in Washington. Adults are about 22 inches in length, of which the tail comprises 5 inches. The body is stout and plump. The legs are short. The ears are low and rounded. The eyes are large but not prominent. The fur is rather stiff but dense. The upper parts are cinnamon, frosted with white-tipped guard hairs. The underparts are tawny. There is no white bar across the nose.

Woodchucks occur from Alaska to Idaho and eastward to the Atlantic, extending southward in the eastern United States. Miller (1924: 173-175) lists seven subspecies, one of which enters the extreme northeastern corner of Washington.

The habits of the eastern woodchuck (_Marmota monax rufescens_) have been studied by Hamilton (1934: 85-178), but the northern races are less well known. Cowan (1939: 77-79) gives observations on the habits, nests and burrows of _Marmota monax canadensis_.

=Marmota flaviventris avara= (Bangs)

Yellow-bellied marmot

_Arctomys flaviventer avarus_ Bangs, Proc. New England Zoöl. Club,
1:68, July 31, 1899.

[_Marmota flaviventer_] _avarus_ Trouessart, Catal. Mamm., viv.
foss., suppl., p. 344, 1904.

_Marmota flaviventris avara_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
128:175, April 29, 1924.

_Type._--Obtained at Okanogan, British Columbia, by A. C. Brooks on
July 17, 1897; type in Museum of Comparative Zoölogy.

_Measurements._--A male from 5 miles north of Entiat, Chelan
County, measured: total length 610; length of tail 182; hind foot
70; ear 28.

_Distribution._--From the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains
eastward, except, apparently, extreme northeastern Washington.
Marginal records are:

Okanogan (W. W. D.) in the north, Wenas (W. W. D.) in the west,
Pasco (M. V. Z.) in the south, and 14 mi. S. W. Pullman (Howell,
1915: 42) in the east.

_Description._--The yellow-bellied marmot is similar to the woodchuck but is slightly larger. It is decidedly paler in color, less reddish, but possesses white-tipped hairs on the dorsal surface, as does the woodchuck. The yellow-bellied marmot also differs from the woodchuck in having a distinct white bar on the nose. Its pelage is coarse and rather thin.

The yellow-bellied marmot is typically an animal of the basalt talus of eastern Washington but occurs in mountainous areas in northeastern Washington. These animals are usually found near streams, ponds, lakes, or rivers. They wander considerably, however, and are often found far from water. Their wandering habits probably account for their presence near temporary streams and ponds on the Columbian Plateau. When these temporary sources of water dry up in July or early August, the marmots go into hibernation. Edson (1935: 68) records a marmot from Bellingham, Whatcom County, far west of the usual range of the species.

The "ground hog" is often hunted for sport and sometimes for food. Near centers of human population the yellow-bellied marmots are extremely shy. Along the highways of the Columbia River on any Sunday in June, it is not unusual to see a dozen cars in an hour, moving slowly past a talus slide while eager hunters scan the rocks for marmots. In the late afternoon, when the marmots leave the protection of the talus slides to drink at the river, they fall easy prey to rifles with telescope sights. Near cities in eastern Washington yellow-bellied marmots have become partially nocturnal.

Couch (1930: 2-6) attempted to excavate several dens of yellow-bellied marmots, but decided to leave the task "to some future road-building crew." Embryos found by Couch numbered three to six. Couch thought the young were born about March 15 in the Snake River area and about April 15 in the upper Okanogan area. The young appear above ground approximately 30 days after birth.

The yellow-bellied marmots enter aestivation from late June to early August, depending on the locality and local conditions. They are active longer in northeastern Washington. Couch records a yellow-bellied marmot seen in Okanogan County on October 10, but regards this as exceptional. The marmots near Wenatchee, Chelan County, emerge from their burrows in early March (March 5 to 10, from reports of residents in 1937, 1938). Couch (1930: 5) gives February 20 to March 15 as the date of appearance.

A principal requirement for marmots is the presence of rocks. At Cle Elum, Kittitas County, I took a marmot from an alfalfa field where a farmer had placed all the surface stones in a loose pile. Fifteen miles east of Tonasket, Okanogan County, marmots were living in the stones piled by road builders to support the ends of a small bridge. A hundred feet away another marmot was living under an abandoned building. A high, convenient rock near their burrow serves the yellow-bellied marmots as a look-out post. These look-out posts seem, in many cases, to have been used by many generations of marmots, for their feces sometimes fill nearby crevices to a depth of several feet and cover the look-out rock itself. The glacial boulders on the plateau between the Okanogan River and Omak Lake, Okanogan County, furnish the best examples of look-out posts. These numerous isolated boulders, ten to fifty feet in diameter and ten to thirty feet high, each seem to furnish shelter to one or more marmots. Well-worn trails lead from the boulders to burrows and feeding areas.

The food of the yellow-bellied marmot includes grasses and succulent plants found in their habitat. Fondness for alfalfa makes them a serious pest in some areas, for their large size enables them to make considerable inroads on a field. Natural enemies probably include most larger predaceous mammals. Hawks and eagles probably kill their young. Near Tonasket, Okanogan County, Robert Dalquest surprised a coyote as it ran across a small wash. A shot caused the coyote to drop a half-grown marmot which it had been carrying.

=Marmota caligata cascadensis= Howell

Hoary marmot

_Marmota caligata cascadensis_ Howell, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
27:17, February 2, 1914.

_Type._--Obtained on Mt. Rainier, 6,000 ft., Pierce County,
Washington, by A. K. Fisher on August 11, 1897; type in United
States National Museum.

_Measurements._--A young adult male from Stevens Pass, King
County, measures: total length 773; length of tail 221; hind foot
93; ear 27.

_Distribution._--The Cascade Mountains, ranging from Mt. Baker (W.
W. D.) and Mt. Chopaka (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 15) south to Mt.
Adams (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 15).

_Description._--The hoary marmot is the largest of the American marmots; adults are 28 inches or more in length, of which the tail makes up about 8 inches. The pelage is dense and rather woolly. The upper parts are not frosted with white-tipped hairs, but are gray washed with blackish. The head is blackish with white facial markings, and the shoulders, legs and underparts are gray. The tail is dark reddish brown.

Hoary marmots range from Alaska south to Washington and Idaho. Howell (1915: 57-67) recognizes seven races of this species.

This mammal of the higher altitudes rarely goes below the Hudsonian Life-zone. It is most common in the talus slides at the lower edge of the Arctic-Alpine Life-zone. Like other marmots, it prefers to live amid loose boulders. The steep talus or "scab rock" slides in the glacial cirques provide an ideal habitat. The crevices and caves beneath the rocks offer concealment for young and adults. A large boulder with a flat top is usually selected as a look-out. Well-worn trails lead from the talus slides to nearby grassy slopes. When surprised in the open, the hoary marmot exhibits a peculiar bounding run, reminiscent of that of tree squirrels. The short tail "follows through" in the leaps. In the rock slides the hoary marmot is surprisingly agile.

The clear, shrill whistle of the hoary marmot is familiar to all who penetrate its haunts. The whistle is remarkably similar to the whistle of a person. Locally the hoary marmot is known as "whistler" or "whistle pig." Individuals emerge from hibernation early in June; most adults retire again by the middle of September. On September 14, 1937, a young of the year was shot and few were seen where they had been common in June. All were shy. Only one adult was seen.

Large hawks and eagles commonly hunt over the rock slides inhabited by marmots, and probably kill very young individuals. Only the larger predators such as bear, cougar, wolf, coyote, lynx, and bobcat would be expected to kill an adult hoary marmot.

=Marmota olympus= (Merriam)

Olympic marmot

_Arctomys olympus_ Merriam, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p.
352, October 4, 1898.

[_Marmota_] _olympus_ Trouessart, Catal. Mamm., viv. foss. suppl.,
p. 344, 1904.

_Type._--Obtained at timber-line, head of Sol Duc River, Clallam
County, Washington, by C. H. Merriam, on August 27, 1897; type in
United States National Museum.

_Measurements._--Two small but adult females from Deer Park,
Clallam County, measure respectively: total length 758, 691;
length of tail 163, 161; hind foot 106, 97; ear 31, 29.

_Distribution._--This species is confined to the Olympic
Mountains.

_Description._--The Olympic marmot closely resembles the hoary marmot, and differs in being slightly larger, and reddish or rusty brown where the hoary marmot is gray. It lacks the blackish overwash of the hoary marmot. The nose is whitish.

Although the Olympic marmot belongs to the hoary marmot group it is a distinct species, most closely related to the marmot of the mountains of Vancouver Island. Its habits differ but little from those of the hoary marmot. It lives in burrows in talus slides and boulder piles near timber line. A few burrows are dug beneath logs. Well worn trails lead from burrows to feeding grounds on nearby grassy slopes and heather meadows. High rocks or logs serve as lookouts. The alarm whistle is similar to that of the hoary marmot.

=Citellus townsendii townsendii= (Bachman)

Townsend ground squirrel; sage rat

_Spermophilus townsendii_ Bachman, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 8:61, 1839.

_Spermophilus mollis yakimensis_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc.
Washington, 12:70, March 24, 1898.

[_Citellus mollis_] _yakimensis_ Trouessart, Cat. Mamm., Sup., p.
339, 1904.

_Citellus townsendii townsendii_ Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 56:60,
May 18, 1938.

_Type._--Obtained on the western bank of the Columbia River "about
300 miles above its mouth" (probably near the mouth of the Walla
Walla or Touchet river; more exactly, opposite Wallula, in Benton
County, Washington) by J. K. Townsend in July, 1836; type in
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

_Measurements._--Ten adults from Mabton and North Yakima, Yakima
County, average: total length 212.2; length of tail 45.7; hind
foot 33.9.

_Distribution._--The Upper Sonoran Life-zone area of the Yakima
Valley from Ellensburg (Howell, 1938: 63) south to the Columbia at
Kennewick (W. W. D.).

_Remarks._--This race is probably derived from _C. t. mollis_ of Oregon, from which it is but slightly differentiated. It was known for many years as _Citellus mollis yakimensis_. For use of the name _townsendii_ see Howell (1938: 62).