212 GNAWING ANIMALS 



coast, they are found from southern California to Alaska, 

 even to the Mackenzie River basin, but they are not found 

 in the desert regions. 



THE SEWELLEL FAMILY 



Aplodontidae 



The Sewellel, 1 Mountain 'Beaver," or Showt'l of 

 the Indians is a strange and little-known animal of the North- 

 west, with which at least every person in that region should 

 be acquainted. It is reddish brown in upper color (some- 

 times grayish brown), and looks like a tailless woodchuck. 

 It feeds like a beaver, fights fiercely when cornered, is sociable 

 in habit, like the prairie-" dog," can climb bushes four feet 

 high, and can burrow and live comfortably either in ground 

 that is low and boggy, or high and dry. Usually it prefers 

 wet ground! A large specimen weighs 4 pounds and meas- 

 ures about 13 inches in length of head and body, with a tail 

 of a little more than an inch. Strange to say, this once 

 rare animal has recently been discovered inhabiting the 

 grounds of the University of Washington, at Seattle. 



THE BEAVER FAMILY 



Castoridae 



The Beaver 2 easily leads the mammals of the world in 

 mechanical and engineering skill, and also in habits of in- 

 dustry. Being chiefly nocturnal in its habits, it sleeps by 

 day, and after nightfall carries on its work unmolested. It is 



1 Ap-lo-don'ti-a rn'fa. 2 Cas'tor can-a-den'sis. 



