218 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
that are found on the Pacific coast are called 
Castor pacificus. 
The European beaver, Castor fiber, still exists in 
a few places in Europe, chiefly, I believe, in 
Norway, where, in 1883, there were said to be 
about one hundred near Arendal ; these have been 
strictly protected and have therefore increased. 
Formerly they existed in great numbers throughout 
most parts of Europe, also in Asia, northern and 
central. In Livonia as recently as 1724 they were 
so abundant that they were considered a nuisance 
and the last is said to have been killed in 1841. In 
Holland they were exterminated in 1825, while in 
western Germany the Moselle and the Maas were 
noted for the number of beaver. In 1829 there 
was a flourishing colony on the Elbe near Magde- 
burg. 
In England and Wales the beaver was found up 
to about the twelfth century ; the Welsh name was 
Llost-Llydden, signifying broad-tail. The last 
record of them in that country was, according to 
Giraldus Cambrensis, in 1188, when they were 
found in the Teivy, Cardiganshire. King Howel 
Dda, who died in 948, fixed the price of beaver 
skins at 120 pence, which shows how greatly they 
were appreciated, as fox, wolf and stag were valued 
at only eight pence. The beaver’s name in England 
has been perpetuated by very few places such as 
Beaverage, Beverley, .Beversbrook and Beaver- 
bourne, in marked contrast to the United States 
