NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



343 



reported for many years. During the 

 autumn of 1922 a report became current 

 that beavers were building a dam on 

 North Fork River in Hampshire County. 

 A. B. Brooks, Chief Game Protector, 

 inspected this locality about February 

 8, and judges from the amount of cutting 

 that there must be a colony of good 

 size. In one place there were 15 willows 

 gnawed down, all of their branches and 

 parts of their trunks cut up and hauled 

 off. The trees were from 8 to 16 in. in 

 diameter, and all had been cut during 

 the past three or four months. Where 

 this colony of beavers came from is yet 

 unknown. The porcupine, too, was 

 undoubtedly more or less common in the 

 higher mountain areas, but it has not 

 been seen in this range for many years. 

 The last record of the animal in the 

 State was the presence of its tracks in 

 the snow observed by C. L. Brooks in 

 Morgan County in 1913. l The panther 

 or cougar is extinct notwithstanding an 

 occasional report to the contrary. The 

 Canadian lynx no doubt lived in the 

 Alleghenies of the State for it is known 

 to have inhabited these mountains in 

 the southern part of Pennsylvania. 

 Along with the other wild life men- 

 tioned the gray or timber wolf is now 

 extinct in West Virginia. What is con- 

 sidered as the last one of this species 

 here was killed in Randolph County by 

 Stofer Hamrick in January, 1900. The 

 marten a former inhabitant of the State 

 has disappeared and the otter has not 

 been seen for many years. The simple 

 mention of the passenger pigeon reminds 

 one of the past. 



Owing to the many streams that rise 

 within its borders West Virginia has 

 been rightly named the "Birthplace of 

 Rivers." These numerous streams of 

 crystal, sparkling water heading among 

 the mountain peaks and ridges wending 

 their way through the highland forests 

 amid unsurpassed scenic beauty as 

 cascades, rapids, riffles, and mirror- 

 like pools make a fisherman's paradise. 



1 Since this article was written a porcupine was 

 seen in Preston County by a hunter, Charles Cox, 

 during November, 1923. 



Here the native speckled trout is yet 

 plentiful and a week's vacation in these 

 places where civilization has not pene- 

 trated, where the hoot-owl calls the 

 watches of the night and the veery sings 

 by day one forgets the cares of business 

 and professional life and in the arms of 

 nature the flush and vigor of youth is 

 renewed. While fish is becoming less 

 abundant in the lower reaches of the 

 streams the restocking of some of the 

 waters of the State, which has been 

 going on for some time, will tend to keep 

 up the supply. In addition to the wild 

 life already mentioned the smaller game 

 animals are yet present but greatly 

 reduced in numbers. The black bear, 

 Virginia deer, and wild turkey are also 

 found in limited numbers in the moun- 

 tain section. Ruffed grouse is yet 

 plentiful in certain areas of the State. 



III. POLLUTION 



Although the headwater streams still 

 retain their pure sparkling waters practi- 

 cally all of them in their lower reaches 

 have become polluted by coal mines, 

 tanneries, pulp and paper mills, chemical 

 plants, and sewage from cities and towns 

 located along their banks. Perhaps the 

 least polluted river in West Virginia is 

 the Great Cacapon, which has its source 

 in the southern extremity of Hardy 

 County and flows in a northeasterly 

 direction through Hardy, Hampshire, 

 and Morgan Counties, emptying into 

 the Potomac near Great Cacapon village. 

 Up to the present time very little has 

 been done to check the pollution of the 

 streams in the State other than by 

 prohibiting the dumping of sawdust into 

 the water. May the activities of the 

 few people of this generation who are 

 striving for the preservation of natural 

 conditions in the different states and 

 provinces of America bring about the 

 establishment and maintenance of many 

 such desirable and important sanc- 

 tuaries. Speed the day when man shall 

 be disenthralled from his enslaving 

 selfishness and think more about the 

 future of his race and nation; then the 



