358 BULLETIN 56, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



with a view to discovering the mallard's nest, I stopped and scruti- 

 nized the spot with particular care from the opposite bank of the 

 stream, and descried a huge beaver seated upon the tree trunk beneath 

 the debris. It had evidently been driven from its home by the very 

 higl* water of the rising stream, and had sought concealment in tins 

 shady spot. When I revisited the place later in the day the beaver 

 had returned, but only its head was out of water, and that so nearly 

 concealed by brushwood that I caught sight of it too late for a shot. 

 When first seen 1 could easily have obtained the specimen had my 

 gun been loaded for such tough game; but it had gone before exchange 

 of cartridges could be effected. 



May 28, 1886, Fort Verde, Arizona.— -Hoy, the driver of the post 

 water wagon, brought me a large female beaver that he killed with a 

 stone under the bank of Beaver Creek. The soldier's dog caughjt one 

 of this beaver's young, which Hoy also brought to me ( Nos. 6785 and 

 2330, coll. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.). 



June 11, 1886, Fort Verde, Arizona. — To-day I saw a place where 

 the beavers' castoreum had been deposited. The ground was stained 

 blackish, and the odor was so strong as to attract my attention when 

 riding near. 



Fbrinirij 10, 1887, Fort Verde, Arizona. — A beaver was caught in a 

 steel trap eight days ago, and left one fore foot in the trap. To-day 

 it was found stranded upon a low sand island, having but recently 

 died. The uterus contained ,three fetuses about 25 mm. in length. 

 They were contained in spherical sacs as large as a hen's egg. The 

 placenta was four times larger than the embryo, which latter had 

 developed largely to head and hind extremities. The weight of the 

 other was 46 pounds; eye 9.5 mm. in diameter. 



March 15, 1887, Verde River, Arizona. — I saw a beaver come out of 

 its burrow in the bank and drag a cottonwood branch into its home in 

 broad daylight. 



March 27, 1887, Fort Verde, Arizona. — I have noticed that beavers 

 have been working on ash trees in several localities in this region of 

 late. 



April 3, 1887, Box Canyon of the Verde River. — Beavers are numer- 

 ous, and have cut much of the timber along the river bank. Mr. J. P. 

 Milligan took 120 beavers on the Gila and Verde rivers during the win- 

 ter of 1886-87, and sold the skins at $2.50 a pound (about $5 apiece). 



November 22 to 24, 1887. — On the East Verde River are several line 

 beaver dams. One of them is 4 feet high, and could not have been 

 better built by man. This dam is superior to any other that I have 

 seen in the region. Beavers are very plentiful on the East Verde. 



I found bones of the beaver in many cliff and cave dwellings of the 

 extinct race of man known as cliff dwellers in the Verde Valley, Ari- 

 zona, from 1884 to ISSN. 



