1936] 



MAMMALS OF OREGON 



315 



Eugene brought in 2 cougars, 7 bobcats, 3 raccoons, 2 fishers, 2 mar- 

 tens and 28 "civet cats." Another trapper brought 14 bobcats, 1 

 covote, 3 mink, 5 fishers, 20 martens, 5 white weasels, 5 skunks, and 55 

 " civet cats." Another brought in a coyote, 6 wildcats, and 30 " civet 

 cats." While the skins of " civet cats , the trade name for the little 

 spotted skunks, were quoted at that time at only 50 to 65 cents each, 

 the numbers of skins taken gave them considerable importance in 

 the fur yield. 



Family PROCYONIDAE: Raccoons 



PROCYON LOTOR PACIFICA MEKRIAM 



NORTHWESTERN RACCOON 



Procyon psora pacific^ Merriam, North Amer. Fauna, No. 16, p. 107, 1899. 



Type. Collected at Lake Keechelus, Kittitas County, Wash., by C. Hansen, 

 January 15, 1898. 



General characters. Size of a badger or a small dog (pi. 45) ; body heavy; 

 face short with pointed nose, erect ears, and crossed by a black mask; feet 

 fully plantigrade with naked soles; claws curved for climbing; teeth 40 in 

 number; tail round and bushy, encircled by black and gray rings; fur full 

 and soft, mainly obscured by long coarse outer hairs. Color, upper parts dark 

 coarse gray, produced by brown under-fur, white or yellowish subterminal 

 portions and black tips of long guard hairs ; top of head blackish and a broad 

 black band across face and eyes, connecting with brownish black throat patch ; 

 a narrow band of whitish crossing forehead and cheeks, and three white spots 

 covering chin and sides of nose; tips of ears whitish; tail tipped with black 

 and encircled by 6 or 7 gray and 6 or 7 black rings ; top of hind feet dusky ; 

 lower parts light brown, more or less silvered with scattered long whitish 

 hairs ; throat dusky ; chin whitish ; nose pad and naked soles black. 



Measurements. An immature male from Easton, Wash., measured in the 

 flesh: Total length, 780 mm; tail, 275; hind foot, 120; ear (dry), 40. An adult 

 female from Steilacoom, measured 830; 270; 129; ear (dry), 40. Skull of adult 

 male from Lake Cushman, Wash.: Greatest length, 120; zygomatic breadth, 

 85 ; interorbital constriction, 26 ; alveolar length of upper molar series, 35. 



Distribution and habitat. These large raccoons of the Northwest 

 range from southern British Columbia south to northern California, 

 in and west of the Cas- 

 cades (fig. 78). They are 

 common along the coast 

 and foothill streams and 

 lakes in mainly Transition 

 Zone, but absent from the 

 higher parts of the moun- 

 tains. Generally animals 

 of forest and timbered 

 areas, they are also much 

 at home where cliffs and 

 canyons afford safe re- 

 treats, in which they may 

 sleep during the daytime, 

 or take refuge when pur- 

 sued by enemies at night. 



General habits. Rac- 

 coons are mainly noctur- 

 nal, but when urged by hunger sometimes come out of their dark re- 

 treats in hollow logs, trees, or caves before dark or on cloudy days, 

 to catch a meal of frogs or crayfish. At night they wander far and 

 wide along the creek or river banks, the lake shores, or ocean beaches, 



FIGURE 78. Range of the Northwestern and Snake 

 River Valley raccoons in Oregon : 1, Procyon lotor 

 paciftca; 2, P. I. excelsus. 



