cat, and at first glance resembles a large squirrel. The legs are
longer, the body stouter and the fur more fluffy than those of a mink or
weasel. Adult males weigh from two to two and a half pounds, and females
from one and a half to two pounds. Males are slightly more than two feet
in total length and females about 18 inches, the tail comprising
one-third or more of the total length. The head is broad and narrows
rapidly to a sharp muzzle. The ears are large, erect and prominent. The
feet are large with stout toes and long, sharply curved pinkish-white
claws. The body and head are rich golden brown, the tail, wrists, feet
and muzzle being darker.
The western marten ranges from British Columbia southward through Idaho
and Washington to California. A closely related species, _americana_, is
found in Alaska, the eastern United States and Canada. Martens and
fishers may be distinguished from weasels and minks by the presence of
18 rather than 16 teeth in the upper jaw and 20 instead of 18 teeth in
the lower jaw.
The western marten is arboreal. Its principal habitat in Washington is
the Canadian Life-zone forests of the Olympic, Cascade and Blue
mountains and the various ranges in the northeastern part of the state.
At one time it ranged near sea level along the densely forested coastal
belt and may still do so in the more rugged parts of the Willapa Hills.
The marten is both diurnal and nocturnal. In Mount Rainier National Park
the species has become quite tame and may be seen in the daytime. Many
of the small mammals upon which it feeds are diurnal, but others are
nocturnal. The marten is active throughout the year. Trappers report
that during a storm the marten "holes up in rock slides" where it lives
on conies and chipmunks until the storm passes. It spends a large part
of its time in trees, and travels through them for long distances. It
climbs more skillfully than the tree squirrels upon which it feeds. On
the ground or on snow the marten travels in bounds, a yard at a leap,
and its characteristic bounding gait forms tracks that are distinctive
and easily followed.
Mammals of the weasel family mostly are not gregarious but the marten is
exceptional in that in the winter it travels in bands of 6 to 10
animals. Individuals composing these bands are inclined to wander but
nevertheless the whole band travels in a definite general direction at a
good rate of speed. Travel-ways or "runs" may be used by more than one
band, and a run may extend for many miles, perhaps for as many as 50. A
band of martens may take two weeks to complete the circuit, but usually
returns to the starting point in less than a week. Most runs are about
"half-way up the mountain," or midway between the crest of the hill or
timber-line and the floor of the stream valley below. In summer the
marten ranges higher; it lives in the trees just below timber-line and
in the talus slides near timber-line. When the snows are unusually late
the martens may keep to these higher areas until November.
The food of the marten consists principally of small mammals and
probably birds; the staple food in winter is the Douglas squirrel. In
summer they feed on pikas, mantled ground squirrels and chipmunks. Mice,
also, are eaten. The deer mouse, _Peromyscus maniculatus_, is usually
abundant about old cabins and is successfully used as bait by trappers.
Wood rats and flying squirrels are also eaten, the latter being
especially important in certain areas. The tracks of martens that had
been following snowshoe rabbits were seen on several occasions but the
martens had turned off before a kill was made. In every instance the
rabbit tracks indicated that the animals were hopping leisurely and
browsing; apparently the tracks were made some time before the marten
began to follow them.
Martens are inquisitive, and to judge from their tracks in snow they
investigate almost every object that they pass; a fallen mound of snow,
branch, bit of moss, log or isolated tree is apt to be visited. Failing
to find a meal in or around one of these objects, the marten visits the
next object that catches its eye. Seemingly the animal always is giving
concentrated attention to some definite object although the attention
can shift in an instant when a more interesting object comes in to view.
As a result the trail of a marten in the snow is an intricate affair
composed of numerous straight lines and sharp turns.
The trapping of martens is specialized work, engaged in by professional
trappers that follow trap lines many miles in length. Trappers commonly
have a base cabin and one or two shelters situated a day's march apart,
The trap-line is set in a circle, requiring one to three days' travel by
the trapper to complete the circuit.
The standard "set" for marten in the Cascades consists of an opening 8
to 10 inches wide, 4 inches high and 6 inches deep chopped into the side
of a dead stub. The hole is cut as high as the trapper can reach. A trap
is set in the opening and bait is placed in the back of the hole. A
sapling 1 to 3 inches in diameter inclined at an angle of 45° from the
ground to the hole completes the set. As the snow deepens, new holes are
chopped higher up on the stub. Such sets seen in the summer may consist
of six or seven holes spaced a foot apart. The chips from the holes are
left lying on the snow and are said to attract the animals. Bait
commonly consists of flying squirrel, red squirrel or deer mouse.
[Illustration: FIG. 53. Distribution of the western marten in
Washington. A. _Martes caurina caurina._ B. _Martes caurina origenes._]
The value of the marten's pelt fluctuates from year to year. In recent
years average pelts have sold at from ten to twenty dollars each. The
number of individuals taken by a trapper varies with the trapper's skill
and energy and the location of the trap line. The largest catch made by
one trapper in a single winter, of which I know, was 300 animals, taken
near Mt. Adams.
=Martes caurina caurina= (Merriam)
_Mustela caurina_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 4:27, October 8, 1890.
_Martes caurina caurina_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:93,
December 31, 1912.
_Type._--Obtained near Grays Harbor, Grays Harbor County,
Washington, by L. C. Toey on February 4, 1886; type in United
States National Museum.
_Racial characters._--Color dark; throat patch bright orange or
brownish.
_Distribution._--From the Cascade Mountains westward. Marginal
localities are (from Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 10) head of Cascade
River, Riverside, Chelan, Easton and Trout Lake. The record from
Chelan seems doubtful, and the specimen may have come from
somewhere around Lake Chelan, rather than from the town of that
name.
_Remarks._--Skulls of martens from many localities in western North
America were studied in an effort to determine the relationship of the
eastern pine marten (_Martes americana_) and the western marten. East of
the Rocky Mountains the ranges of the two species approach closely, but
each retains distinctive characters, notably the shape of the auditory
bullae. The two species have not been taken together and the possibility
of intergradation exists. On the basis of the evidence at hand, the two
should be regarded as full species until positive proof of
intergradation is established.
In the absence of sufficient material, the marten of the Cascades is
referred to _Martes caurina caurina_. Fur graders distinguish between a
dark "coast marten" and a paler "Cascade marten."
=Martes caurina origenes= (Rhoads)
_Mustela caurina origenes_ Rhoads, Proc. Acad. at Sci.
Philadelphia, 1902:458, September 30, 1902.
_Martes caurina origenes_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:93,
December 31, 1912.
_Type._--Obtained at Marvine Lodge, Garfield County, Colorado, by
E. T. Seton on September 16, 1901; type in Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia.
_Racial characters._--Paler than _caurina_ with grayer head and
yellow or white rather than deep orange or brown throat patch.
_Distribution._--Mountainous areas of northeastern Washington and
the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. Trappers have
reported this marten from the mountains near Republic, Ferry
County.
=Martes pennanti= (Erxleben)
Fisher
[_Mustela_] _pennanti_ Erxleben, Syst. Regni. Anim., 1:470, 1777.
_Martes pennanti pennanti_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:94,
December 31, 1912.
_Mustela canadensis pacifica_ Rhoads, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc.,
n.s., 19:435, September, 1898 (type from Lake Keechelus, Kittitas
County, Washington).
_Martes pennanti pacifica_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:94,
December 31, 1912.
_Martes pennanti_ Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale, Fur-bearing Mamm.
California, Univ. California Press, Berkeley, p. 211, July 22,
1937.
_Type locality._--Eastern Canada.
_Distribution._--Originally forested areas from the eastern base
of the Cascades westward and possibly the Blue Mountains of
southeastern Washington and the mountains of northeastern
Washington; now probably confined to the Cascade and Olympic
mountains.
[Illustration: FIG. 54. Fisher (_Martes pennanti_). 2-year-old male in
captivity; New Westminster, B. C., March 7, 1939. (Fish and Wildlife
Service photo by Victor B. Scheffer, No. 598.)]
_Remarks._--The fisher is the size of a large cat. In general
proportions it resembles the marten. Adult males measure about 3-1/2
feet in length; the tail comprises 16 inches of this. Adult females
are slightly less than 3 feet in length of which the tail makes up
approximately 15 inches. Males weigh up to 10 lbs. and females about
5-1/2 pounds (Grinnell, Dixon and Linsdale, 1937: 213). The fisher has
a slim body, bushy tail, short legs, large feet, and wide, low and
triangular head. The ears are low, wide, rounded and erect. The fur is
an ashy, brownish gray in color with an overwash of blackish caused by
long, dark hairs. The head is slightly paler than the body. The feet,
rump and tail are darkest. The claws are strong and sharply curved.
The fisher is found in wooded parts of North America, extending
southward in the Cascade-Sierra Nevada Chain to central California. Its
near relatives are the martens. It is active all year. Like the marten,
it is active by day and probably also by night. In spite of absolute
protection for several years, the fisher is rare in Washington, and
seems never to have been common. In consequence relatively little is
known of its habits, and the little that is known has been reported by
fur-trappers.
[Illustration: FIG. 55. Distribution of the fisher, _Martes pennanti_,
in Washington.]
The fisher seems not to live in bands as does the marten. Most of the
actual records of fishers trapped are at higher altitudes but are
misleading because most trappers agree that the fisher occupied a lower
zone, altitudinally, than does the marten. There are old records of
its occurrence near sea level (Scheffer, 1938: 9). The animals are
usually taken in marten sets or in traps set especially for fishers
by trappers who find their tracks on their marten trap lines. Since
marten trappers are almost the only persons who travel in the mountains
in winter, and since they operate mostly above the areas where fishers
live, relatively few fishers are reported.
Fishers are said to feed on chipmunks, squirrels, mice, birds and other
small, warm-blooded animals, and to climb trees and catch squirrels
in their natural habitat. Also, fishers are said to catch and kill
martens. Their tracks in the snow resemble the marten's in that the
hind feet land in the same places as the forefeet; both animals bound
rather than walk.
The pelt of the fisher commands a high price. The smaller sized,
females, are the more valuable. The price paid for pelts fluctuates
widely and has ranged from as low as twelve dollars to as high as one
hundred dollars in recent years.
In Washington more fishers live in the Olympic Peninsula and the
northern Cascade Mountains than elsewhere. A few may occur in
northeastern Washington, the Blue Mountains and the Willapa Hills.
The name _pacifica_ was regarded by Grinnell, Dixon, and Linsdale (1937:
217) as a synonym of _pennanti_.
=Mustela erminea= Linnaeus
Ermine
_Description._--Though it is similar in general characters and
proportions to the long-tailed weasel, the ermine is much smaller and
has a relatively shorter tail. It is darker and less reddish or
yellowish in summer. Adult males measure about 10 inches in length, of
which 3-1/2 inches is the length of the tail. Females measure about 8
inches and have tails 2 inches long. The upper parts are chocolate
brown; the underparts are white or pale yellow. Along the coast of
Washington, the pale color of the underparts is more restricted in the
ermine than in the long-tailed weasel. The dark brown tail has a black
tip. Ermines east of the summit of the Cascades become pure white in
winter, save for the black tail tip. West of the summit of the Cascades
the winter pelt is similar to the summer pelt but is slightly paler with
denser underfur.
Ermines in America range from the Arctic southward, in mountainous
areas, to the southern end of the Sierra Nevada in California, and in
the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. In Washington they are found
over the entire state except the arid parts of eastern Washington, where
only the long-tailed weasel occurs. So far as my observations go, the
ermine is principally nocturnal in Washington; I have seen only one
abroad in the daytime. It dashed from a roadside thicket near Glacier,
Whatcom County, and was crushed beneath the wheels of a car. Taylor and
Shaw (1927: 53) note several instances of diurnal activity of the
ermines at Mount Rainier National Park.
The ermine seems to feed principally upon mice. Its small size adapts it
to entering burrows that larger weasels cannot enter. It probably eats
chipmunks, birds, and other small, warm-blooded animals. Ermines climb
readily and are often taken in traps set in trees for martens. Near
Skykomish, King County, William Hoffman took two ermines in traps set in
burrows of mountain beavers. The mountain beavers were needed for use as
bait on his trap line. The traps were reset and later caught mountain
beavers. Seemingly the ermines were traveling through the burrows,
perhaps to catch the mice which utilize the burrows as highways, rather
than to prey upon mountain beavers. It is difficult to see how the tiny
ermine could kill an adult mountain beaver, which outweighs it many
times. Should the incisors of the mountain beaver close even once upon
an ermine it would most certainly be seriously wounded or killed.
Judging by the forest habitat occupied by the ermine in Washington, one
might expect its principal food to consist of deer mice (_Peromyscus
maniculatus_), red-backed mice (_Clethrionomys_) and meadow mice
(_Microtus_).
In observing the activities and habits of mammals in their natural
habitat, I have often relied on tracking in fresh snow. Strangely
enough, tracks of ermines were seldom found, and the few that were seen
came from beneath a log, bush or wind-fall and disappeared beneath
similar cover, rarely extending 20 feet on the surface of the snow. The
larger, long-tailed weasels often traveled for miles on the surface of
the snow. Possibly the ermines were following the burrows of mice
through the snow, or perhaps they kept beneath the surface from fear of
owls. This suggests a reason why ermines are so seldom seen abroad. They
may be following burrows and runways of mice and seldom come to the
surface of the ground.
On November 18, 1936, we saw three ermines and two long-tailed weasels
taken by a trapper on Deception Creek near Stevens Pass, King County.
All were in the white winter coat. In December, 1938, we obtained two
ermines at Skykomish, King County, 18 miles west of Stevens Pass. These
were in the brown winter coat. In that area the break between the brown
and white winter coat seems to come just west of the main Cascade
Summit, or at the same point that the break occurs between the brown and
white winter coats of the long-tailed weasel.
Ermine skins have little value and usually bring from 10 to 35 cents.
They are saved incidentally by trappers, for it takes but a few moments
to skin and prepare them. They possess the strong, musk odor so typical
of the long-tailed weasel.
=Mustela erminea invicta= Hall
_Mustela erminea invicta_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:75, February 27,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained at Benewah, Benewah County, Idaho, by W. T. Shaw
on October 24, 1926; type in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Largest of the Washington ermines; winter
coat entirely white; upper lips white; black of tail more than
half length of tail vertebrae.
_Measurements._--Ten males and 5 females from central Idaho
average, respectively (Hall, 1945): total length 291, 255; length
of tail 86, 71; hind foot 40, 32. 3.
_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington and the northeastern
Cascades, west to Chilliwack River and Hannegan Pass (Hall, 1945:
78).
=Mustela erminea fallenda= Hall
_Mustela erminea fallenda_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:79, February 27,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained at Huntingdon, British Columbia, by C. H. Young
on May 21, 1927; type in National Museum of Canada.
_Racial characters._-Size large; winter coat usually brown; pale
color of underparts much restricted; color of upper parts dark;
color of lips variable; tail with more than distal half black.
_Measurements._--Seven males and 2 females average, respectively
(Hall, 1945: 79): total length 278, 232; length of tail 77, 60;
hind foot 36.5, 27.
_Distribution._--The extreme north coast of Washington, from the
Canadian boundary south through Whatcom County (Hall, 1945:
80-81).
_Remarks._--The range of this ermine is similar to that of the
yellow-pine chipmunk, _Eutamias amoenus felix_.
[Illustration: FIG. 56. Distribution of the ermine in Washington. A.
_Mustela erminea invicta._ B. _Mustela erminea murica._ C. _Mustela
erminea gulosa._ D. _Mustela erminea fallenda._ E. _Mustela erminea
streatori._ F. _Mustela erminea olympica._]
=Mustela erminea olympica= Hall
_Mustela erminea olympica_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:81, February 27,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained near head of Sol Duc River, Clallam County,
Washington, by V. Bailey, on April 28, 1897; type in United States
National Museum.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _streatori_ but smaller,
especially females.
_Measurements._--Twelve males and 6 females average, respectively:
total length 243, 196; length of tail 65, 52; hind foot 31, 23.4
(Hall, 1945: 81).
_Distribution._--The Olympic Peninsula, extending southeastward to
Olympia.
=Mustela erminea streatori= (Merriam)
_Putorius streatori_ Merriam, N. Amer. Fauna, 11:13, June 30. 1896.
_Mustela streatori streatori_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:96, December 31, 1912.
_Mustela cicognanii streatori_ Taylor and Shaw, Occ. Pap. Chas. R.
Conner Mus., no. 2:11, December, 1929.
_Mustela erminea streatori_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:76, February 23,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained at Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington, by D.
R. Lucky on February 29, 1896; type in United States National
Museum.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _fallenda_ but pale color of
underparts less restricted; tail with less than distal half black.
_Measurements._--Two males and 2 females from extreme southwestern
Washington average, respectively: total length 245, 210; length of
tail 72, 54; hind foot 31.5, 25.5; ear 17, 14; weight 72.3, 46.
_Distribution._--The lowlands of western Washington; north to
Skagit County and Whidby Island (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 11),
southward and westward to Ilwaco (M.V.Z.) and eastward to Carson
(U.S.N.M.).
=Mustela erminea gulosa= Hall
_Mustela erminea gulosa_ Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:84, February 27,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained at Trout Lake, Klickatat County, Washington, by
P. Schmid on February 3, 1897; type in United States National
Museum.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _invicta_ but smaller; winter
coat usually white; tail less than one-half black; upper lips
white.
_Measurements._--Five males from Mount Rainier, and 4 females from
the Cascade Mountains, average, respectively (Hall, 1945: 84):
total length 253, 208; length of tail 76, 54; hind foot 30.2,
24.3.
_Distribution._--The Cascade Mountains. Known from Skykomish
(W.W.D.) and southward to Mount Adams (Trout Lake, Hall, 1945:
85).
=Mustela erminea murica= (Bangs)
_Putorius (Arctogale) muricus_ Bangs, Proc. New England Zoöl. Club,
1:71, July 31, 1899.
_Mustela muricus_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull., 79:96, December
31, 1912.
_Mustela cicognanii lepta_ Taylor and Shaw, Occ. Pap. Chas. R.
Conner Mus., no. 2:11, December, 1929.
_Mustela cicognanii muricus_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 55:292,
August 29, 1936.
_Mustela erminea murica_ Hall, Jour. Mamm., 26:77, February 27,
1945.
_Type._--Obtained at Echo, El Dorado County, California, by W. W.
Price and E. M. Nutting on July 15, 1897; type in Museum of
Comparative Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _invicta_ but smaller and paler.
_Measurements._--A young female from Stay-a-while Spring, Columbia
County, measured: total length 201; length of tail 46; hind foot
24; ear 14; weight 45.8. A female from Butte Creek, Columbia
County, measured: 185; 50; 26. A male from Baker Creek, White Pine
County, Nevada, measured: 220; 56; 26; 14.5; weight 57.7.
_Distribution._--The Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington.
_Remarks._--Two specimens available from the Blue Mountains are
darker than typical _murica_.
=Mustela frenata= Lichtenstein
Long-tailed Weasel
_Description._--Male long-tailed weasels measure about 16 inches in
total length of which 6 inches is the length of the tail. Females are
smaller, measuring about 14 inches in length with a tail 5 inches long.
The body is long and exceedingly thin. The legs are short and stout with
rather large feet and strong, curved claws. The tail is well-furred, not
tapered, but lacks the bushy appearance of the tail of the fisher. The
head is low, wide at the base and abruptly tapering to the muzzle. The
ears are erect, low and rounded. The fur is short but dense and rather
soft. In summer the color of the head, back, sides and outside of the
legs is brown. The throat, chest, underside of body and insides of legs
are yellow or orange. In winter they may be entirely white, save for the
black tip of the tail. The tail is slightly darker than the back in
summer and possesses a long black tip.
Long-tailed weasels do not hibernate even in the coldest parts of
Washington. They are active both by day and by night, apparently doing
their hunting at the time of day or night when they can most easily
obtain food. In the Cascade Mountains where diurnal mammals such as
squirrels, chipmunks and pikas are common, weasels are not uncommonly
seen by day. In the lowlands of western Washington, where they feed on
more nocturnal mammals, they are seldom seen.
The long-tailed weasel is relatively unspecialized in habits. They climb
readily and skillfully. They are active on the surface of the ground and
follow the burrow systems of fossorial animals such as gophers and
mountain beavers.
Weasels seen in the wild rarely exhibit fear of man but rather are
curious and apt to watch his actions. Weasels are also often hit by cars
and the number so killed seems to me to be out of proportion to their
actual numbers.
In moving on the surface of the ground the weasel arches its back and
contracts the body until the four feet are rather close together. When
the long neck and small head are held upright the animal presents a
surprisingly giraffelike appearance. When climbing, the long, slim body
has a snakelike appearance. A weasel travels swiftly and erratically in
a series of bounds and seems always to know where the next hole is
situated.