72 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



mentions that in 1826 Pattie and a party of trappers took 

 beavers all along the Pecos River from 20 miles above its 

 mouth to the first Spanish settlement (probably Anton Chico). 

 From 1881 to 1884' L. L. Dyche collected on the headwaters of 

 the Pecos and found at that time "a considerable number of 

 beavers about 15 miles from the head of the Pecos River" ; there 

 were many beaver dams and, he adds, "in the pools which 

 were caused by these dams I found the best trout fishing of any 

 locality I have ever visited in the Rocky Mountains," an 

 interesting comment on the effect of such dams in making 

 pools where trout may live. In 1898, C. M. Barber found a 

 large colony on Ruidoso Creek, below the town of the same 

 name, and there he secured the series of specimens on which 

 Bailey later founded the name mexicanus. At that time the 

 beavers were feeding on corn, which they cut and dragged to 

 the stream and floated to their dens. Very few were being 

 killed by the Mexicans on the ranches, since they lacked the 

 technique for trapping. In 1902 Bailey visited Ruidoso Creek 

 " and found that there were still a few beavers along this stream, 

 which, with its sections of deep water and steep banks, is 

 peculiarly adapted to the habits of beavers. " In the following 

 year he also found some of the streams inhabited by them on 

 the headwaters of the Pecos. "There were old cuttings along 

 many of the other streams, but in most cases the beavers had 

 been entirely trapped out ... In the deep water of the 

 larger valley streams they are not so easily caught, and fortu- 

 nately enough have escaped in spite of persistent trapping to 

 prevent the complete extermination of the species . 



"In many places along the canyons of the Rio Grande above 

 Santa Fe there were still some of the animals in 1903-4, and 

 trappers were then catching them in considerable numbers 

 . . . and in 1909, E. A. Goldman saw some old beaver 

 cuttings near Socorro and was told that there were still a few 

 along the river. He also saw signs of them at Garfield and 

 found them common in the Rio Grande near Las Palomas, and 

 they were reported near Las Cruces ... In 1915, J. S. 

 Ligon reported them as becoming abundant in places along the 

 Rio Grande above and below San Marcial, where there were 

 some complaints of their felling trees across the fences. 



"In such localities beavers live entirely in the banks of the 

 rivers and select the deepest water for their operations. They 



