ZOOLOGY. 125 
with a tail measuring to the end of the hairs on it three inches. 
The color is mixed yellowish-brown and black above, white 
beneath, thighs and rump grayish. 
Trowbridge’s hare (Lepus trowbridgii) is found along the 
coast southward from 39°. The length is from eleven to 
fifteen inches; the tail, with hair and all, less than an inch. 
The back is yellowish brown mixed with dark brown, paler on 
the sides, and ash-colored beneath. 
The sage rabbit (Lepus artemisia) is found in all the open 
parts of California north of the Straits of Carquinez. It is 
from eleven to sixteen inches in length; in color, brown above 
and white beneath, with a yellowish tinge, the under part of 
the neck a yellowish brown. The fur on alli parts of the body 
is lead-colored at the base. . 
§ 95. Aquatic Mammals—The American beavers (Castor 
canadensis) were once very abundant in all the large streams of 
California, and it was chiefly for their sake that the first Ameri- 
can trappers entered the country some thirty-five or forty years 
ago. They are still found in nearly all parts of the state, and 
even numerous, it may be said, in some of the sloughs near the 
junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. They 
rarely build dams in Cal’fornia, but live in. burrows in the 
banks. When they dive they slap the water with their tails, 
making a noise that can be heard at a considerable distance in 
a still night. Toeir skins, which once commanded very high 
prices, have lost much of their value since the adoption of silk 
for making hats. 
The common wink (Putorius vison) is found in California, 
but is not abundant. The general color of the animal is dark 
brownish-chestnut, with a white spot on the end of the chin. 
The skin of the mink is as valuable as that of the beaver. 
The Californian otter (Lutra californica) is found all along 
this coast, and was formerly abundant on all the large streams. 
It is carnivorous, living entirely on fish and sheli-fish. It pre- 
fers large streams and lakes for its home, while the plant-eating 
beaver prefers small streams. The Californian otter is some- 
