ILLUSTRATIONS

Topography
FIGURE PAGE
Mount Rainier from Indian Henrys[frontispiece]
1. Cascade Mountains at Canadian Boundary[17]
2. Columbia River one mile south of Kellers Ferry[19]
4. Cascade Mountains in Chelan National Forest[21]
5. Mount Rainier, Yakima Park[22]
6. Columbia River in Stevens County[23]
7. Blue Mountains, Washington[24]
8. North Side of Mount Rainier[26]
9. Mount Rainier: Cowlitz Chimneys[28]
10. A "pothole" crowded by drifting sand[30]
12. Arctic-Alpine Life-zone on Mount Rainier[33]
13. Humid subdivision of the Transition Life-zone[34]
14. Timbered, arid subdivision of the Transition Life-zone[35]
15. Upper Sonoran Life-zone[37]
16. Canadian Life-zone[38]
18. McDowell Lake. Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge[50]
19. Pend Oreille River near Newport[59]
20. Rocky bluff along north bank of the Columbia River[65]

Mammals
FIGURE PAGE
21.[Gibbs] shrew-mole[122]
23. Coast mole and Townsend mole[125]
25. Coast mole[128]
41. Long-eared bat: female with young[161]
42. Boulder Cave: habitat of long-eared bats[162]
48. Female black bear and two cubs[171]
49. Black bear in "hibernation"[173]
54. Fisher[187]
59. Wolverine[202]
60. Wolverine: dried pelt[203]
62. River otter[208]
66. Badger[220]
69. Coyote[226]
72. Cougar or mountain lion: skin[234]
73. Cougar or mountain lion: pelts[235]
75. Canadian lynx[238]
76. Trapper's catch of nine Canadian lynx[239]
78. Bobcat[241]
82. Townsend chipmunk[260]
87. Golden-mantled ground squirrel[282]
89. Feeding station of Douglas squirrel[287]
91. Northern flying squirrel[292]
95. Northern pocket gopher[302]
96. Giant mounds formed by pocket gophers[304]
97. Food cache of northern pocket gopher[306]
99. Beaver[315]
100. Beaver lodge and pond[316]
101. Cottonwood pole carved by beaver[317]
102. Road flooded by beavers[320]
106. Deer mouse[327]
112. Pennsylvania meadow mouse[345]
115. Runways of Townsend meadow mice[350]
119. Muskrat[360]
121. Mountain beaver[366]
123. Big jumping mouse in hibernation[370]
130. Elk[392]
131. Group of elk[393]
132. White-tailed deer[395]
133. White-tailed deer: fawn[396]
134. Left antler of white-tailed deer[397]
135. Antlers of white-tailed deer[398]
136. Mule deer[400]
137. Black-tailed deer[401]
138. Mountain goat[407]
139. Group of mountain goats [408]

Distribution Maps
3. Mammalian distributional areas [20]
11. Life-zones of Washington [32]
17. Extent of Vashon-Wisconsin ice [48]
22.[Gibbs] shrew-mole[123]
24. Townsend mole [127]
26. Coast mole [129]
27. Cinereous shrew [133]
28. Merriam shrew and Trowbridge shrew [134]
29. Wandering shrew [137]
30. Dusky shrew[140]
31. Mountain water shrew[141]
32. Bendire water shrew and pigmy shrew[143]
33. Big myotis[147]
34. Yuma myotis[149]
35. Fringe-tailed myotis and Keen myotis[150]
36. Long-eared myotis[152]
37. Hairy-winged myotis[155]
38. California myotis[156]
39. Small-footed myotis[157]
40. Silver-haired bat[160]
43. Long-eared bat[163]
44. Western pipistrelle[164]
45. Big-brown bat[166]
46. Hoary bat[168]
47. Pallid bat[170]
50. Black bear[175]
51. Grizzly bears[177]
52. Raccoon[181]
53. Western marten[185]
55. Fisher[188]
56. Ermine[192]
57. Long-tailed weasel[196]
58. Mink[199]
61. Wolverine[204]
63. River otter[209]
64. Civet cat[214]
65. Striped skunk[218]
67. Badger[221]
68. Red fox[225]
70. Coyote[230]
71. Wolf[232]
74. Cougar[236]
77. Canadian lynx[240]
79. Bobcat[243]
80. Least chipmunk[252]
81. Yellow-pine chipmunk[256]
83. Townsend chipmunk[261]
84A. Marmots[266]
84B. Townsend and Washington ground squirrels[268]
85. Columbian and Beechey ground squirrels[274]
86. Golden-mantled ground squirrels[280]
88. Western gray squirrel[284]
90. Red and Douglas squirrels[289]
92. Northern flying squirrel[294]
93. Great Basin pocket mouse[298]
94. Ord kangaroo rat[300]
98. Northern pocket gopher[308]
103. Beaver[321]
104. Northern grasshopper mouse[323]
105. Western harvest mouse[325]
107. Deer mouse[329]
108. Bushy-tailed wood rat[335]
109. Northern lemming mouse[337]
110. Heather vole[339]
111. Gapper and California red-backed mice[342]
113. Pennsylvania meadow mouse[346]
114. Montane and Townsend meadow mice[348]
116. Long-tailed meadow mouse[352]
117. Water rat[356]
118. Creeping mouse[357]
120. Muskrat[362]
122. Mountain beaver[368]
124. Big jumping mouse[372]
125. Porcupine[375]
126. Pika[378]
127. Snowshoe rabbit[383]
128. Black-tailed jack rabbit[386]
129. Nuttall cottontail[388]

INTRODUCTION

Mammals of Washington are of especial interest to the naturalist because many of them are recent immigrants; much of Washington was buried under thick glacial ice until relatively recently and many of the mammals, therefore, have inhabited the area only since the ice disappeared. The evolution or development of certain subspecies, in Washington, has certainly occurred within the last few thousand years. To be able thus to date such evolutionary changes as have occurred is of course a matter both of importance and interest to zoölogists. The evolutionary changes in several species are relatively great. In color, for example, the bobcat in the humid coastal area of western Washington is notable for its dark coloration, whereas in the more arid area of southeastern Washington it is remarkably pale and of a different subspecies. Within the limits of the state of Washington, elevations ranging from sea level to more than 14,000 feet occur. Since different elevations have their characteristic mammals, more kinds are found in Washington than in other areas of corresponding size that lack such topographic diversity. Expressed in terms of the life-zone concept, Washington includes faunas ranging from the Upper Sonoran Life-zone to those of the Arctic-Alpine Life-zone.

The basis for a study of the mammals of Washington was laid in 1929 by W. P. [Taylor] and W. T. [Shaw] in the "Provisional List of the Land Mammals of the state of Washington." [Bailey]'s "Mammals and Life Zones of Oregon" and "The Recent Mammals of Idaho" by W. B. [Davis] deal with the habits and distribution of mammals in the areas bordering Washington on the south and east, and were very useful in the organization of the present report.

The study was first planned from the taxonomic and ecologic point of view. Such a study, of necessity, involves the classification and distribution of the forms concerned. Classification has required more work than any other part of the study and has been, in a sense, the nucleus of the study. Nevertheless, as the report began to take form it was recognized that the part dealing with classification and other purely technical aspects of the paper probably would be uninteresting to the average reader. Therefore it was felt that a greater impetus to the study of the mammals of Washington would be given by reducing the taxonomic accounts to the minimum and dealing principally with the problems of distribution.

As originally planned, the present report was to be of joint authorship by Dr. Victor B. [Scheffer] of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Seattle, and the writer. The press of other work prevented Dr. [Scheffer] from devoting as much time as he had planned to the project. He has, however, contributed his field notes, specimens, and photographs, and in many other ways assisted in the project.