The head is large with eyes and ears of moderate size. The body is rather stout; thicker than that of a tree squirrel but slimmer than that of the Columbian ground squirrel. Head and body are about 11 inches in length and the tail is about 7 inches long. The upper parts are dark brownish or blackish gray heavily marked with white spots. A triangular area at the shoulders is clear black outlined in whitish. The head and neck are grayish brown. The underparts are buffy. The tail is gray above and buffy beneath. This species belongs to the subgenus _Otospermophilus_. Externally the species _beecheyi_ differs from _Citellus washingtoni_, _townsendii_, and _columbianus_, all of which belong to the subgenus _Citellus_, in possessing more slender limbs, a longer, thinner body, a rather bushy tail that is nearly two-thirds, rather than less than half, the length of the body, and larger, more prominent ears. The Beechey ground squirrel lacks also the hazel color of nose and thigh that is characteristic of the subgenus _Citellus_ in Washington. _Citellus beecheyi_ ranges from the southern edge of the state of Washington southward through western Oregon and California into northern Lower California. It is a western coastal species and reaches eastward only as far as Nevada. A related species, _Citellus variegatus_, occurs farther inland, from Utah, Colorado, and Texas, southward to central Mexico. Eight subspecies of _Citellus beecheyi_ are recognized by Howell (1938), all but three of which are restricted to California. At present the Beechey ground squirrel occupies a limited area of Washington, which it has invaded in recent years (Scheffer and Dalquest, 1939: 44). However, it is extending its range and may be expected eventually to occupy a considerable part of the state. The habitat of this ground squirrel is varied. It occupies a more humid terrain than do most members of the genus. At the present time it is most common in grassy fields and rocky outcrops along the Columbia River. It is common also in the open oak groves on the hillsides back from the river valley and some individuals were seen near Guler, well up on the slopes of Mount Adams. As observed in Washington, its favored habitat is about rock outcrops and talus slides near extensive fields or grasslands. In California and Oregon, however, it occurs among other places, in scattered fields and meadows of the coniferous forests in the humid subdivision of the Transition Life-zone. The range of tolerance of the species is such that it might extend its range into much of western Washington, including the Puget Sound area. It may be expected to move northward through the eastern Cascades.