_Remarks._--In 1896, Merriam named _oregonensis_ as a subspecies of the
California bridled weasel on the basis of a single specimen taken by
Clark P. Streator. Three additional specimens were acquired in later
years, by workers of Dr. Merriam's bureau, from near the type locality
and specimens from farther north in Oregon have been accumulated at the
University of Oregon. The most satisfactory material is that saved from
Humboldt County by the late H. E. Wilder, which, when brought together,
is adequate to give some idea of the range of variation that can be
expected in a given population.
Of two specimens from Goldbeach, one shows approach to _altifrontalis_
in that the color of the underparts stops at the ankle, and in one, the
angle of the mouth is dark colored. Specimens from Eugene and vicinity
lack the white facial markings, and in this feature approach the
adjoining _washingtoni-effera-nevadensis_ stock. A specimen from 6
miles south of Medford shows approach to _saturata_ in the
interruption, on the ankle and lower tibial region, of the color of the
underparts. One adult female, no. 1413, Univ. Oregon, from the Rogue
River Valley, 13 miles southwest of Grants Pass, stands out
prominently, among the other specimens from extreme southern Oregon and
northwestern California, by reason of the near (18) Apricot Yellow
color of the underparts, but this same color occurs in specimens from
the more northerly localities of Buchanan, Eugene, Vida Fish Hatchery,
and McKenzie Bridge, as well as in no. 2178, Univ. Oregon, from Cresent
Lake. The last mentioned specimen is here referred to _nevadensis_.
Two females referred to _oregonensis_ from southern Oregon differ so
greatly in size of skull that they challenge one's imagination in any
attempt to provide an explanation for so wide a range of variation in
one subspecies. One of these, no. 244520, U. S. Nat. Mus., is an adult
female from Medford. The other, no. 224034, U. S. Nat. Mus., is a
subadult female (though labeled male) from 43 miles northeast of Grants
Pass. The skull of the adult from Medford has a basilar length of 41.5,
upper tooth-rows, 16.1 in length, and a weight of 2.75 grams, whereas
corresponding figures for the subadult are only 33.8, 12.9, and 1.4.
Two other adult females are intermediate in size: No. 1413, Univ.
Oregon, from 13 miles southwest of Grants Pass, Oregon, approaches the
specimen from Medford in size, and the second specimen, no. 34325, Mus.
Vert. Zoöl., from Carlotta, California, is smaller.
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