468 HISTORY OF THE BEAVER CHAP. 



In the skull the iiifraorbital foramen is small as in Squirrels. 

 The postorbital process has practically vanished. The four 

 molars stand out laterally from the jaws. The incisors, as might 

 be surmised from the habits, are particularly strong. The stomach 

 has near the entrance of the oesophagus a glandular patch, 

 which seems to be like that of the Wombat (see p. 144). 

 In both sexes the cloaca is very distinct and comparatively 

 deep. 



The two species of the genus are C. canadensis and C. fiber. 

 The latter is of course the European species, which is now found 

 in several of the large rivers of Europe, such as the Danube 

 and the Rhone. But it is everywhere getting scarce, and limited 

 to quite small and isolated colonies. 



In this country it is absolutely extinct and has been since 

 before the historic period. There is apparently no documentary 

 evidence of its survival down to this period. But the numerous 

 names of places which are called from this animal illustrate its 

 former prevalence. Examples of such names are Beverley in 

 Yorkshire, and Barbourne or Beaverbourne in Worcestershire. 

 In Wales, however, Beavers seem to have persisted longer. But 

 they were rare in the Principality for a hundred years or so before 

 the Norman Conquest. The king Howel Dda, who died in 

 948 A.D., fixed the price of a Beaver skin at 120 pence, the 

 skins of Stag, Wolf, and Fox being worth only 8 pence apiece. 

 The Beaver was called by the Welsh "Llost-llyddan," which 

 means "broad -tail." Its existence in the country is handed 

 down in the name of Llyn-ar-afange, which means Beaver lake. 

 The last positive record of the Beaver in Wales seems to be the 

 statement of Giraldus Cambrensis that in 1188 the animal was 

 still to be found in the river Teivy in Cardiganshire. In 

 Scotland the Beaver is said to have continued down to a later 

 date. Ireland it never reached. The remains of this animal 

 by their abundance show the former prevalence of C. fiber 

 in this country. It is known from the fens of Cambridgeshire, 

 and from superficial deposits elsewhere. The Thames formerly 

 had its Beavers, and apparently it was widely spread through the 

 country generally. 



The Beaver not only furnishes collars and cuffs for coats ; 

 it was used, as every one knows, to provide hats. But the useful- 

 ness of the animal by no means ended here in the eyes of our 



