>On Wed, 11 Sep 1996, Mary Poss wrote:
>
>> (The snowshoe hare that I saw on this trip had not started to turn yet).
>
>I have always believed (I must have read it somewhere) that Snowshoe Hares
>in Washington do not turn white during winter (or any other time). Can
>anyone provide evidence otherwise?
>
>Kelly McAllister

We have a large series of snoshoes from the Blue Mountains in winter, all
snow-white. We don't seem to have any winter specimens from elsewhere in
eastern WA (there are *never* enough specimens in museums).

We have lots of winter snowshoes from western WA, and none is white exept
one specimen from Mt. Rainier, 3000', Mickel Creek. It's a May specimen
and is growing in brown fur but was probably all white in winter.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416