Plates [19], [20], [21], [34], [35] and [36]
Putorius washingtoni Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:18, pl. 4, figs. 3, 3a, 4, 4a, June 30, 1896.
Mustela washingtoni, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:98, December 31, 1912.
Mustela frenata washingtoni, Hall, Carnegie Instit. Washington Publ. 473:106, November 20, 1936.
Type.—Male, adult, skin and skull; no. 76322, U. S. Nat. Mus., Biol. Surv. Coll.; Trout Lake, Mt. Adams, Klickitat (?) County, Washington; December 15, 1895; obtained by D. N. Kaegi; original no. 2.
The skull is unbroken. The left incisors above are missing. Otherwise the teeth are present and entire. The skin is well made, in brown winter pelage, lacks collector's measurements, has no bones in the feet, but by large size is judged to be a male.
Range.—Altitudinally from near 2000 feet at Trout Lake up to the highest parts of the Cascade Range from Mount Jefferson, Oregon, north to Mount Rainier, Washington; Upper Sonoran Life-zone to Arctic Alpine Life-zone. See figure [29] on page [221].
Characters for ready recognition.—Differs from M. f. altifrontalis in lighter color of upper parts and underparts, latter ranging from Buff-Yellow to Naples Yellow rather than near (14 a to 16 c) Ochraceous-Buff, in shallower skull in both sexes (see measurements), in males, a longer preorbital region, narrower skull with shorter bullae, and in females, a smaller skull with interorbital breadth averaging less than 24 per cent of basilar length; from M. f. nevadensis in absence of light color of underparts on ventral face of tail, in skulls of males, by longer preorbital region and narrower skull across mastoid processes and zygomatic arches, in skulls of females, by shorter preorbital region, and smaller bullae (see measurements); from M. f. effera in absence of light color of underparts on ventral face of tail, in skulls of males, by linear measurements averaging 7 (5-12) per cent larger, and relative to basilar length, longer in the preorbital region and narrower across mastoid processes and zygomatic arches; from M. f. oregonensis in absence of frontonasal white patch, longer skull in males, which in percentage of basilar length has, on the average, orbitonasal length amounting to more than 35, mastoid breadth less than 55, and zygomatic breadth less than 63, and in females, smaller skull with least width of palate less than length of P4, upper tooth-rows less than 38-1/2 per cent of basilar length, bullae smaller, averaging less than 13.4 in length.
Description.—Size.—Male: Fifteen subadult topotypes yield average and extreme measurements as follows: Total length, 400 (357-437); length of tail, 149 (122-171); length of hind foot, 47.6 (42-59). Tail averages 59 per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind foot averaging more than basal length. Corresponding measurements of one adult and 3 young from Mount Rainier are: 415 (405-423); 155 (145-164); 51 (50-53).
Female: Five adult topotypes yield average and extreme measurements as follows: Total length, 349 (330-393); length of tail, 124 (114-133); length of hind foot, 38 (36-39). Tail averages 55 per cent as long as head and body. Length of hind foot averaging about same as basal length. Corresponding measurements of two adults and 6 young from Mount Rainier are: 338 (320-360); 121 (115-132); 36 (34-40).
The average differences in external measurements of the two sexes, from Mount Adams, are: Total length, 51; length of tail, 25; length of hind foot, 9.6. Corresponding differences between the specimens from Mount Rainier are: 77; 34; 15.
Externals.—Longest facial vibrissae black or brown (often both colors in same specimen) and extending beyond ear; carpal vibrissae same color as underparts and extending to or beyond apical pad of fifth digit; hairiness of foot-soles slightly less than shown in figure [19].
Color.—Upper parts in summer near (14 n) Argus Brown or tone 4 of Burnt Umber of Oberthür and Dauthenay, pl. 304; one topotype Buckthorn Brown or tone 3 to 4 of Snuff Brown of Oberthür and Dauthenay, pl. 303. Dark spot at each angle of mouth present or absent, and when present, often fused with color of upper parts, which rarely covers lower lips. Chin, and usually lower lips, white. Remainder of underparts Buff-Yellow to Naples Yellow. In winter, all white except tip of tail which is at all times black, or upper parts near (14) Brussels Brown to near (j) Snuff Brown with smoked effect and underparts white, rarely with trace of yellowish. Color of underparts extends distally on posterior sides of forelegs over toes onto antipalmar faces of feet and usually all of wrists, on medial sides of hind legs anywhere from knee to tips of toes. Least width of color of underparts averaging in ten topotypes, 24 (10-37) per cent of greatest width of color of upper parts. Black tip of tail in same series averaging 55 (45-60) mm. long, thus longer than hind foot and averaging 37 per cent of length of tail-vertebrae.
The color of the underparts is not so narrow in the specimens from Mount Rainier and it is believed that the slender bodies used in stuffing the topotypes has accentuated in them the appearance of narrowness of the light-colored underparts.
Skull and teeth.—Male (based on 22 adult topotypes): See measurements and plates [19]-[21]; weight, 3.5 (2.8-4.7) grams; basilar length, 43.7 (40.0-47.7); zygomatic breadth more or less than distance between condylar foramen and M1 or than between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; mastoid breadth more or less than postpalatal length; postorbital breadth less than length of upper premolars and greater than width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; interorbital breadth more or less than distance between foramen opticum and anterior margin of tympanic bullae; breadth of rostrum less (except in no. 82180) than length of tympanic bulla; least width of palate more (except in no. 81954) than length of P4; anterior margin of tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of 2 to 5 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla more or less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more (except in two instances) than length of lower molar and premolar tooth-row and shorter (except in two instances) than rostrum; anterior margin of masseteric fossa below m2.
Female (based on 11 ad. topotypes): See measurements and plates [34]-[36]; weight, 2.0 (1.8-2.2) grams; basilar length, 37.6 (37.0-38.9); zygomatic breadth less (except in no. 70945) than distance between condylar foramen and M1 or than between anterior palatine foramen and anterior margin of tympanic bulla; postorbital breadth less than length of upper premolars and more than width of basioccipital measured from medial margin of one foramen lacerum posterior to its opposite; least width of palate less (except in one specimen) than greatest length of P4; tympanic bulla as far posterior to foramen ovale as width of 3-1/2 to 5-1/2 upper incisors; height of tympanic bulla more or less than distance from its anterior margin to foramen ovale; length of tympanic bulla more than length of lower molar and premolar tooth-row and longer or shorter than rostrum.
Compared with M. f. nevadensis, the skull of the male of washingtoni averages more slender, as shown by the mastoid and zygomatic breadths and has the preorbital part longer, on the average, as shown by the greater ratio (to the basilar length) of the length of the tooth-rows and orbitonasal length. Also, on the average, the postorbital constriction is longer than in nevadensis and the tympanic bullae are smaller. In females, the skull is lighter, the tooth-rows are shorter, the tympanic bullae are smaller, and the preorbital part of the skull is shorter and narrower as shown by the orbitonasal length and interorbital breadth. Except that the tympanic bullae are actually, although not relatively, smaller in males of effera, it differs from washingtoni in the same way as does nevadensis as regards relative proportions, but, of course, the actual difference in size is greater since effera is smaller than nevadensis. Comparison of the skull with that of oregonensis is made in the account of that subspecies.
Remarks.—M. f. washingtoni was described and named in 1896 by Merriam as a distinct species. Subsequently, specimens which here are regarded as intergrades between altifrontalis and nevadensis, were classified as washingtoni.
The external measurements given for the specimens from Mount Adams are those recorded on the labels in inches and fractions thereof. Instead of total length there sometimes is written "tip to tip." In the series of 19 winter-taken topotypes the hairs project beyond the end of the caudal vertebrae for an average distance of 28 (19-40) millimeters. If the hairs on the end of the tail were included in the measurements, 28 millimeters should be subtracted from the averages. Probably the measurements should stand as given, since an adult male topotype, no. 226758, U. S. Nat. Mus., taken subsequently by Walter P. Taylor measures 405; 152; 51.
Mustela frenata washingtoni is not a strongly marked geographic race. In many features it is intermediate between M. f. altifrontalis and M. f. nevadensis. This is especially true of coloration. In the series from Mount Adams and that from Mount Rainier, some individuals have the light color of the underparts extended down the hind legs over the feet and over the proximal face of the ventral third of the tail as in nevadensis, whereas others from the same place have the light color of the underparts absent from the tail and extending no farther down the hind limbs than the knees. The light color of the underparts in the series of topotypes is so restricted that the transverse extent at the narrowest place amounts to only 24 (10-37) per cent of the greatest width of the color of the upper parts. This narrowness of the color of the underparts has been likened by Merriam (1896:18) to the condition in Mustela frenata noveboracensis. So it is, but it is similar to the condition found also in the geographically adjoining M. f. altifrontalis.
Of the 37 skulls of subadults and a few adults, 11 had the frontal sinuses malformed as a result of infestation by parasites.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 56, arranged within each state by localities from north to south. Unless otherwise indicated specimens are in the collection of the United States National Museum.
Oregon. Mt. Jefferson, Permilia Lake, 1.
Washington. Pierce County: 5500 ft., Spray Park, Mt. Rainier, 1; Spray Park, 1[74]; 5935 ft., Glacier Basin, Mt. Rainier, 5 (1[10]); 5051 to 5100 ft., Owyhigh Lakes, Mt. Rainier, 7 (1[10]), Tahoma Creek, 1[72]; Nisqually entrance, 1[72]; Longmire, 1[72]; Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park, 2[72]. Klickitat County: Trout Lake, S Base Mt. Adams, 35; 3500 ft., Gotchen Creek, Mt. Adams, 1.