Fig. 57. Distribution of the long-tailed weasel in Washington. A. Mustela frenata washingtoni. B. Mustela frenata altifrontalis. C. Mustela frenata nevadensis. D. Mustela frenata effera.
The pelts of weasels bring the trapper from twenty-five cents to a dollar and a half. Only skins in the white winter coat command the higher price. They are usually taken in traps set for other animals.
In the western part of the state, long-tailed weasels do not turn white in the winter; the back is slightly less reddish than in summer and the underparts are pale yellow or white or may be both yellow and white. From the summit of the Cascades eastward weasels become white. The break in winter color seems to occur slightly west of the main summit of the Cascades. Specimens taken by marten trappers at Tye and Scenic, near Stevens Pass, were white on November 15, 1936, but specimens from Skykomish and Baring, 18 miles to the west, were brown.
The long-tailed weasel possesses a distinctive odor. It results from a glandular secretion and, although it has no great carrying power or lasting quality, it does affect some persons strongly. It is a heavy, rather sickening scent.
The gestation period of Mustela f. nevadensis has been recorded as more than 131 days ([Hall], 1938B: 250). The gestation period of the long-tailed weasel of eastern United States has been recorded as more than 70 days. Three to five young are born in a litter, usually four.
Mustela frenata nevadensis [Hall]
Mustela arizonensis [Taylor] and [Shaw], Occ. Pap. Chas. R. Conner Mus., no. 2:11, December, 1929.
Mustela washingtoni [Taylor] and [Shaw], in part, Occ. Pap. Chas. R. Conner Mus., no. 2:11, December, 1929.