Sewellels 
Varieties of the Beaver 
1. Canadian Beaver. Castor canadensis Kuhl. Description and 
range as above. 
2. Carolinian Beaver. C. canadensis carolinensis Rhoads. Some- 
what lighter in colour; larger in size with a decidedly 
broader tail. 
Range. Southern and lower Middle States. Now almost 
extinct, though still found in parts of North Carolina. 
Two other races occur in the northwest coast region and in 
the Rocky Mountains. 
SEWELLELS 
(Family Aplodontide) 
The sewellels are peculiarly isolated animals, having no close 
affinity with any other existing rodents, but constituting one of 
those interesting ‘‘connecting links” that have been preserved 
from some former geological age. They are allied to the squirrel 
and marmot tribe and come perhaps nearer to the beaver than 
anything else in their skeletal peculiarities. They have extremely 
broad flat skulls, thick clumsy bodies, with practically no neck, 
short ears and very short tail. 
Sewellel 
Aplodontia rufa (Rafinesque) 
Also called Mountain Beaver. 
Length. 12 inches. 
Description. Body thick-set, legs short, tail very short, projecting 
but slightly beyond the fur. Above reddish-brown, with scat- 
tered black hairs, grayish below, tail black. 
Range. Cascade Mountains, eastern Washington and Oregon. 
Several allied species or varieties are found in other parts of 
these States and in Northern California. 
These curious animals are found only in the limited area above 
described. They are more or less aquatic in habits, living in 
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