ser., 1:269, March, 1899 (type from Laguna, near Port Angeles,
Clallam County, Washington).
_Chincha occidentalis spissigrada_ Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, 20:35,
August 31, 1901.
_Mephitis mephitis spissigrada_ Hall, Carnegie Inst. Publ. 473:67,
November 20, 1936.
_Type._--Obtained at Sumas [prairie], British Columbia, by A.
Brooks on September 30, 1895; type in Museum of Comparative
Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _hudsonica_ but larger; stripes
broader, usually diverging on shoulders; hairs of stripes often
cream color or yellowish near base; end of tail usually white.
_Measurements._--An adult male from 2-1/2 miles southeast of
Chinook, Pacific County, measures: total length 578; length of
tail 260; hind foot 30. A female from the same place and one from
Renton, King County, average: 575; 233; 72; 27.
_Distribution._--Lowlands of western Washington. This form rarely
goes far into the mountains except along the valleys of the larger
rivers. Marginal records are Skykomish (W. W. D.) and Washougal
River (W. W. D.).
=Taxidea taxus taxus= (Schreber)
Badger
_Ursus taxus_ Schreber, Saugethiere, 3:520, 1778.
_Taxidea taxus_ Rhoads, Amer. Nat., 28:524, June, 1894.
_Taxidea taxus neglecta_ Taylor and Shaw, Occ. Pap. Chas. R.
Conner Mus., no. 2:12, December, 1929.
_Taxidea taxus taxus_ Hall, Carnegie Inst. Washington, Publ.
473:78, November 20, 1936.
_Type._--None. Type locality probably southwest of Hudson Bay
(Hall, 1936: 78).
_Measurements._--Two males from northern Nevada measure,
respectively: total length 780, 762; length of tail 113, 150; hind
foot 136, 120; ear 55, 54; weight 15, 11 pounds.
_Distribution._--Of general distribution over open country east of
the Cascades. Marginal records are Wauconda (Taylor and Shaw,
1929: 12), Chelan (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 13), Goldendale (W. W.
D.) and "Divide above Trout Lake" (trapper's photograph).
[Illustration: FIG. 66. Badger (_Taxidea taxus taxus_), tame animal in
Seattle, Washington. January 29, 1938. Captured at Lakeside, Chelan
County, and photographed at approximate age of ten months; subadult
male. (Eloise Kuntz photo.)]
_Description._--The badger is the size of a small dog, measuring up to
32 inches in total length and weighing up to 20 pounds. The body is
heavy, powerful and remarkably flat and compressed. The tail and legs
are short. The forelegs are thick and strong, armed with long heavy
claws for digging. The ears are wide and low. The color of the upper
parts is a grizzled yellowish brown, not unlike the color of the
yellow-bellied marmot. The underparts are buffy, often with a white area
on the abdomen. The legs, feet, top of head, ears, and small areas on
the cheeks are blackish. Triangular areas about the eyes are buffy. A
white stripe extends from the nose pad backwards, between the eyes, to
the shoulders and serves as the best recognition mark.
[Illustration: FIG. 67. Distribution of the badger, _Taxidea taxus
taxus_, in Washington.]
Badgers are found over central and western United States, Canada and
northern Mexico. They are commonest on the plains and desert,
principally because the burrowing mammals upon which they feed are most
abundant there. The badger is a powerful and rapid digger, being able to
overtake and capture mice, ground squirrels, and even pocket gophers.
Perry (1939: 49-53) in her interesting accounts of the habits of a pet
badger obtained at Lakeside, Chelan County, found the animal powerful
enough to dig through a concrete floor! Evidence of badger's activities
are usually seen at any ground squirrel colony in eastern Washington.
This evidence consists of large holes in the ground. Rarely a horizontal
tunnel begins at the depth of two to four feet and extends for an
unknown distance. Earth removed in excavating is heaped beside one or
both of the narrower sides of the surface opening.
In examining badger workings in ground squirrel colonies I have been
impressed by the fact that most of the holes ended not more than four or
five feet from the entrances--perhaps at the places where the ground
squirrel nests were located, although it may be that the digging of the
badger so terrified the squirrels that they dashed out in an attempt to
escape past the badger, before he reached the nests. Kangaroo rats and
pocket mice often attempt to escape by dashing past a person when he is
excavating their burrows.
The power of the short, thick and slightly bowed foreleg of the badger
is tremendous. The claws are stout and fully an inch long. The animal is
able to break up and remove at a scoop, the baked, claylike loess of the
Columbian Plateau. Clods of this same material are so firm that only by
twisting and exerting considerable power was I able to break them. The
soil a foot beneath the sunbaked crust is softer and more easily worked.
It is difficult to estimate the size of badger populations. In the arid
land of eastern Washington their diggings may exist almost unchanged for
many years. Interviews with professional trappers serve to indicate
their range and numbers as follows: southeastern edge of the Cascades
and Yakima Valley, not common, rarely straying up into
mountains--average trapper's catch, only one to three a year; Okanogan
Valley and northeastern edge of Cascades, not common--average trapper's
catch is six to ten a year, occasional trappers catching as many as 35;
Columbia, Kettle River, and other valleys in northeastern Washington,
uncommon, a few records only; Columbian Plateau, fairly common--average
professional trapper's yearly catch includes 10 to 20 badgers;
southeastern Washington, now rare because of overtrapping, formerly
common.
Trappers state that the badgers taken in northeastern Washington are
usually classified as "hair badger" by fur buyers and bring only a
dollar or two. The badgers of the eastern Cascades are "fur" badgers but
do not bring top prices. The badgers of the Columbian Plateau bring the
best prices. Seemingly some geographic variation exists among badgers in
Washington. Those from the more humid areas of northeastern Washington
and the eastern Cascades are darker and bring poorer prices than the
paler "silver" badgers of the more open desert areas.
The principal food of the badger in Washington seems to be ground
squirrels, _Citellus washingtoni_, _townsendii_, _columbianus_, or
_saturatus_, depending on locality. Pocket mice, gophers, and other
mammals are also eaten, as are grasshoppers, sword-tailed crickets,
other insects, and birds.
Young of badgers number 3 to 5 and are born in late April, May, or early
June.
=Vulpes fulva cascadensis= Merriam
Red fox
_Vulpes cascadensis_ Merriam, Proc. Washington Acad. Sci., 2:665,
December 28, 1900.
_Vulpes fulvus cascadensis_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 55:281, August
29, 1936.
_Type._--Obtained at Trout Lake, Klickitat County, Washington, by
P. Schmid on March 3, 1898; type in United States National Museum.
_Racial characters._--Skull heavy, narrow; color yellowish.
_Measurements._--A male from Crater Lake, Klamath County, Oregon,
measures: total length 1113; length of tail 441; hind foot 180;
ear 112; weight 9 pounds.
_Distribution._--From Trout Lake northward, through the higher
Cascades, to Loomis (Taylor and Shaw, 1929: 13).
_Description._--The red fox of the Cascades is large and measures about
4 feet in total length, of which the tail comprises 15 inches. The body
is slender and doglike; the legs long and slim; the tail thick and
bushy, and the ears are large and erect. In the red phase the red fox of
the Cascades is distinctly more yellowish than the red fox of the
eastern United States; the head is especially yellow. The body has more
red on the shoulder area than posteriorly, and is darkest on the rump.
The tail is rather pale with a dusky, not black, area distally and a
white tip. The ears are dusky. The lower legs and feet are black. The
throat, chest and underparts are white. The "cross" phase, according to
Cowan (1938: 202-206), is rather common in the Cascades. In cross foxes
the color is darker, brown rather than yellowish, and the area from the
nape of the neck back between the shoulders, including a bar across the
shoulders, is deep blackish or grayish brown. In a pelt that is
stretched out a cross is formed by the dark areas. The black and silver
phases of the red fox are also said by Cowan to be relatively common in
the Cascades, constituting 48 per cent of the population. Of 3,163 foxes
traded at Fort Colville, in northeastern Washington, only 19 per cent
were silver or cross. One fox, trapped in Okanogan County, is said by
its captor to have been black above and straw colored beneath, with no
white on the body.
Red foxes range from Alaska and northern Canada well southward into the
United States. Related forms occur in Eurasia.
The red fox of Washington is an alpine animal, ranging at or slightly
below timber-line. Here food is abundant in summer and fall but must be
scarce in winter. In winter its habitat is difficult for man to reach
and few persons penetrate the dangerous terrain where the fox lives. A
few professional trappers regularly catch foxes in the Cascades but know
little of their habits.
The feces of red foxes examined by Taylor and Shaw on Mt. Rainier
contained remains of insects and berries (Taylor and Shaw, 1927: 43).
The red fox is rare in Washington; it lives in inaccessible territory
and its fur is not especially valuable. The animal is of relatively
little economic importance.
The brood den of a red fox found by Livezey and Evendan (1943: 500) near
Corvallis, Oregon, was two-thirds of the way up a 300-foot hill in a
strip of oaks (_Quercus garryana_). Well-packed trails led to an
entrance concealed in poison oak (_Rhus diversiloba_). Remains of a
turkey, 5 ground squirrels, and a jack rabbit were found near the den.
The entrance was 8 inches wide and 15 inches high. The tunnel tapered to
5 inches in diameter and was 47 feet long. Seven pups, 4 males and 3
females, were found in the den.
[Illustration: FIG. 68. Distribution of the red fox in Washington. A.
_Vulpes fulva cascadensis._ B. _Vulpes fulva macroura._ (See p. 450.)]
=Canis latrans= Say
Coyote
_Description._--The coyote is a large carnivore, about the size and
general proportions of a small collie dog but with bushier tail, and
more slender body. Adults measure about four feet in length, of which
the tail comprises a fourth. Adult males weigh about 30 pounds. The
color is somewhat variable, yellowish, buffy, or grayish. The muzzle and
backs of the ears are more reddish, and the legs brown. The tail is
yellowish gray with a dusky tip. The throat, chest and underparts are
white.
[Illustration: FIG. 69. Coyote (_Canis latrans lestes_), in trap, 5
miles southeast of McKenna, Washington, April 10, 1924. (Fish and
Wildlife Service photo by G. R. Bach, No. 26901.)]
The coyote ranges from Alaska southward, over western North America, to
Central America.
At the present time the coyote ranges over almost all of Washington,
except for the highest parts of the mountains and the dense forest areas
of western Washington. According to available information it was not
found about Puget Sound or the Olympic Peninsula until relatively recent
times. Some old trappers are of the opinion that coyotes did not come
into western Washington until the timber wolves became rare there. The
scarcity of the timber wolves seems to coincide with settlement,
clearing and lumbering. Probably coyotes did not become common in
western Washington until lumbering provided extensive clearings and open
areas more suitable to them than forest. Certainly coyotes and wolves
existed together in eastern Washington.
It is difficult to determine whether coyotes were completely absent from
western Washington in the early days or simply scarce. The glacial
prairies of the Puget Sound area provide suitable habitat for coyotes
and coyotes are abundant there at the present time. If coyotes were
present at all in western Washington in the early days it is reasonable
to suppose that they would have been common on the prairies. Yet I was
told by an old trapper who had lived near Scotts Prairie, Mason County,
for many years, that he had never seen or _heard_ coyotes there until
about 1910. Although a coyote might be mistaken for a small wolf, the
call, as this trapper pointed out, is distinctive.
The principal habitat requirement of the coyote seems to be extensive
areas of open country. This it finds in the desert area of the Columbian
Plateau, the open forests of northeastern Washington and the eastern
Cascades, and in the extensive timbered and burned-over lands in western
Washington. In summer coyotes range well up into the Hudsonian Life-zone
of the Cascade and Olympic mountains. Their principal range is lower, in
the Transition and Upper Sonoran life-zones.
The coyotes are both nocturnal and diurnal. In the vicinity of human
habitations they are most active at night. In the heat of the day they
take refuge in brushy areas or small gullies. Many actions of the coyote
are doglike, and were it not for the large, round, bushy tail, a coyote
might easily be mistaken for a dog. The tail is carried in a drooped
position with the tip bowed slightly backwards. When badly frightened
and running at full speed the tail is stretched out straight behind. The
ordinary gait is a purposeful trot with the head held erect, the ears
pricked up, and the legs moving smoothly and effortlessly. Near Moses
Lake, Grant County, I watched a coyote trot along the side of one of a
series of small sand dunes. At the report of the small shotgun fired at
it, the coyote's dignified trot changed to terrified bounds, its feet
dug into the dune, throwing showers of sand into the air, as it crossed
several successive dunes in full flight before turning to take advantage
of the shelter of a draw between two dunes. A coyote chased by an
automobile attained a speed of 43 miles an hour for a short distance
(Zimmerman, 1943: 400).
I have not watched a coyote stalk game, but as described to me it creeps
up to within a few yards of its prey and catches it with a sudden dash.
In hunting a jack rabbit, the coyote is said to pursue it, taking
advantage of short cuts, until close enough to seize it.
Better known than the coyote itself is its howl--several doglike barks,
each successive one of a series shorter and higher pitched, the last one
ending in a long, drawn-out howl. In the winter of 1936 the coyotes near
Cottage Lake, King County, were especially vociferous. They ordinarily
began to howl about 9 p.m., but could be induced to howl earlier by
imitating their call. Their howling was a signal for all nearby
ranchers' dogs to howl in reply. In the desert areas of eastern
Washington I heard coyotes most often just at dusk or at dawn.
The coyote is principally carnivorous, feeding on any mammals and birds
easy to kill. It willingly eats carrion, even when much decayed. Large
insects such as grasshoppers and crickets are eaten when they are
abundant and easily caught. Fruit and berries are eaten when available.
Sperry (1941) reported on the analysis of the contents of 8,339 coyote
stomachs from various places in the United States, 1,186 of the stomachs
being from Washington. The following information is from his report on
all of the 8,339 stomachs: rabbits formed one-third of the food;
_Microtus_ was found in 7 per cent of the stomachs; _Peromyscus_ in 6
per cent; _Neotoma_ in 4 per cent. _Reithrodontomys_ were found in 53 of
the 8,339 stomachs and in insignificant numbers. _Onychomys_ occurred in
11 of the 8,339 stomachs; _Clethrionomys_ in 8. _Ondatra_ occurred in 8
of the 8,339. Two muskrats were in stomachs obtained from Washington.
_Citellus_ (exclusive of _beecheyi_, _lateralis_, and _saturatus_) were
found in 4 per cent and were locally important; _Citellus beecheyi_
occurred in 84 stomachs, including 1 from Washington; _Citellus
lateralis_ and _saturatus_ occurred in 50 stomachs, including 5 from
Washington. _Marmota_ were found in 1 per cent of the stomachs. They
were included in stomachs from Washington but the number was not
reported. _Tamias_ (= _Eutamias_) were found in 43 stomachs from western
United States and were present in 1 per cent of the 1,186 stomachs from
Washington. _Sciurus_ and _Tamiasciurus_ occurred in 33 stomachs.
Included were 3 _Tamiasciurus douglasii_, a _Tamiasciurus hudsonicus_,
and a _Sciurus griseus_ from Washington. _Glaucomys_ occurred in 6
Washington-taken coyotes, of a total of 11 from the entire United
States. _Perognathus_ occurred in 3 per cent of the stomachs, and 274
individuals were represented. They were found in 10 per cent of the
1,186 Washington stomachs. _Thomomys_ occurred in 4 per cent of the
stomachs examined and in 7 per cent of the stomachs from Washington.
_Erethizon_ appeared in 2 per cent of the stomachs (135 records),
including some from Washington. _Aplodonta_ occurred in only 11
stomachs, all taken in Washington. Locally, it is concluded, mountain
beavers are important coyote food. House mice occurred in but five
stomachs, including 2 from Washington. _Zapus_ did not occur in coyote
stomachs from Washington. Domestic sheep and goats formed 7 per cent of
the food of Washington coyotes. Calves occurred in 3 stomachs of coyotes
from Washington. Pigs occurred in 8. Deer formed 3 per cent, by volume,
of coyote food in Washington. A part of the stock and deer reported was
doubtless carrion.
One shrew was found in the stomach of a coyote from Washington, and two
stomachs contained moles. A house cat was eaten by one Washington
coyote, and another coyote had eaten a raccoon. Birds occurred in 13 per
cent of the stomachs examined but formed only a small part by volume.
Poultry formed one-fourth of this volume. Reptiles formed 0.08 per cent
of the food eaten by coyotes and occurred in 3 per cent of the stomachs.
A coyote from Washington had eaten a garter snake. No frogs were found
in coyote stomachs. A coyote from Washington had eaten a salamander.
Another had eaten a fish. Insects formed 1.08 per cent of the total food
eaten by coyotes. Fruit formed 3.63 per cent. Carrion constituted 25.2
per cent of the total food eaten.
It is extremely difficult to draw conclusions regarding the economic
value of any species. Much depends on the outlook of the individual, his
occupation, the locality where the animal occurs and local conditions
there. Furthermore it is impossible to understand and fairly weigh all
the factors involved.
Coyotes destroy game and stock. They also eat carrion and destroy sick
animals, thus preventing the spread of disease. They eat jack rabbits
which are pests, and snowshoes and cottontails which are game. They eat
mice, which are a pest in agricultural areas, a benefit on rangelands
where they destroy weed seeds, and of neutral importance elsewhere. To
analyze the economic value of the coyote, the economic importance of
all animals on which it feeds must be considered and the "good" and
"bad" balanced--a well-nigh impossible task.
In any event, the coyote has been judged and found guilty. Coyotes are
controlled by poison, trapping, and bounty. In spite of control measures
the coyote is holding its own in numbers or increasing.
Stimulated in part by the bounty, professional trappers take many
coyotes each year in Washington. The pelts fluctuate in value from year
to year but a large, prime skin usually brings from 5 to 10 dollars.
[Illustration: FIG. 70. Distribution of the coyote in Washington. A.
_Canis latrans lestes._ B. _Canis latrans incolatus._]
=Canis latrans lestes= Merriam
_Canis lestes_ Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 11:25, March
15, 1897.
_Canis latrans lestes_ Taylor and Shaw, Mamm. and Birds Mt.
Rainier Nat. Park, p. 41, 1927.
_Type._--Obtained in the Toyabe Mountains near Cloverdale, Nye
County, Nevada, by V. Bailey on November 21, 1890; type in United
States National Museum.
_Racial characters._--Frontal region of skull only slightly
concave.
_Measurements._--A male from 20 miles south of Ephrata, Grant
County, on the Columbian Plateau, measures: total length 1185;
length of tail 365; hind foot 198; ear 125; weight 26-1/2 lbs. A
female from 10 miles northeast of Goldendale, Klickitat County, in
the southern Cascades, measured: 1105; 280; 197; weight 19 lbs. A
female from Cashmere, Chelan County, in the northern Cascades,
measured: 1209; 410; 210; 131. A female from the middle fork of the
Nooksack River, Whatcom County, in western Washington, measured:
total length 1185; length of tail 358.
_Distribution._--Suitable areas of the entire state, except for
northeastern Washington.
_Remarks._--Pending a revision of the coyotes, those of western
Washington are referred to _lestes_.
=Canis latrans incolatus= Hall
_Canis latrans incolatus_ Hall, Univ. California Publ. Zoöl.,
40:369, November 5, 1934.
_Type._--Obtained at Isaacs Lake, 3,000 ft. elevation, Bowron Lakes
Region, British Columbia, by T. T. and E. B. McCabe on October 23,
1928; type in Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Similar to _lestes_ but frontal region more
concave.
_Measurements._--A male from 20 miles east of Tonasket, Okanogan
County, measures: total length 1033; length of tail 291; hind foot
163; ear 110.
_Distribution._--Northeastern Washington, west to Okanogan and
Conconully (W. W. D.).
_Remarks._--Several series of coyote skulls from northeastern
Washington are more variable than series of _lestes_ from
California and _incolatus_ from British Columbia. The "dish-faced"
character of _incolatus_ is more strongly represented in some
coyotes from northeastern Washington than in topotypes of
_incolatus_ but others are more like _lestes_. In average
measurements they are nearer _incolatus_.
=Canis lupus fuscus= Richardson
Timber Wolf
_Canis lupus_ var. _fusca_ Richardson, Mammalia, Zoölogy, Captain
Beechey's voyage of the Blossom, p. 5, 1839.
_Lupus gigas_ Townsend, Jour. Acad. Sci. Philadelphia, 2:75,
November, 1850 (type from near Vancouver, Clark County,
Washington).
_Canis gigas_ Miller, Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 59 (no. 15):4, June
8, 1912.
_Canis occidentalis gigas_ Taylor and Shaw, Birds and Mamm. Mt.
Rainier Nat. Park, p. 39, 1927.
_Canis lycaon gigas_ Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 55:272, August 29,
1936.
_Type locality._--Banks of the Columbia below The Dalles in Oregon
or Washington.
_Racial characters._--A large, relatively dark colored wolf with
wide skull and heavy dentition.
_Distribution._--Probably occurred from the eastern base of the
Cascades westward to the Pacific. Now extinct over most of its
range.
[Illustration: FIG. 71. Probable past distribution of the wolf in
Washington. A. _Canis lupus fuscus._ B. _Canis lupus columbianus._ C.
_Canis lupus irremotus._]
_Description._--The wolf is a large carnivore of the general proportions
of a large collie dog. Wolves closely resemble coyotes but are larger,
with stouter body, larger feet, thicker muzzle and more massive,
powerful skull and teeth. The fur of wolves is long and rather stiff.
In general color of the body they resemble coyotes, but the underparts
are less white and the legs and feet are more contrastingly reddish.
Wolves of the species _Canis lupus_ range over the northern parts of
both the Old and New World. In America they are found from the Arctic
south into Mexico.
Wolves occurred in western, northeastern and southeastern Washington.
They seem not to have occurred on the Columbian Plateau. Wolves are
generally associated with the larger, hooved mammals upon which they
feed. In Washington these probably once included the elk, deer, mountain
sheep and mountain goat. Hooved animals, except mountain sheep and deer,
may not have occurred on the Columbian Plateau in historic times, and
even the deer and sheep probably were scarce. There was probably little
food for wolves on the Plateau.