Fig. 83. Distribution of the Townsend chipmunk in Washington. A. Tamias townsendii townsendii. B. Tamias townsendii cooperi.
[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.