Distribution.—The western part of the northern Cascades (Glacier, [Jackson], 1928: 55) and the Olympic Peninsula (Neah Bay south to Cedarville, [Jackson], 1928: 55).
Remarks.—This shrew seems to occupy the same range as Sorex obscurus setosus but is rare where obscurus is common.
Sorex merriami merriami Dobson
[Merriam] shrew
Sorex merriami Dobson. Monogr. Insectivora, pt. 3, fasc. 1, pl. 23, fig. 6, May, 1890.
Sorex merriami merriami Benson and Bond. Jour. Mamm., 20: 348, August 14, 1939.
Type.—Obtained on Little Bighorn River, about a mile and a half above Fort Custer, Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, by Charles E. Bendire on December 26, 1884; type in United States National Museum.
Measurements.—Of type: total length 90; length of tail 35; hind foot 11.5 (after [Jackson], 1928: 80).
Distribution.—A single specimen of this rare shrew is known from Washington. [Jackson] (1928: 81) states that it "was collected by George G. Cantwell, November 18, 1919, at the entrance to an old badger digging on top of a 'high bunch grass hill' at Starbuck (altitude 645 feet), Columbia County, Wash."
Description.—Similar to Sorex cinereus but upper parts pale grayish and underparts white.
The [Merriam] shrew has been recorded from but a few localities in the western United States. It is one of the rarest of the small mammals known to occur in North America. All the known specimens have been found in desert areas.