A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE MOUNTAIN BEAVER 
The mountain beaver, Aplodontia rufa (Rafinesque), has attracted 
interest among taxonomists and naturalists since it first appeared in 
the accounts of Lewis and Clark in 1805. The only representative of 
the monotypic family Aplodontidae, it is considered to be the most 
primitive of living rodents. It is found only on the Pacific Coast of 
North America, from British Columbia to Central California. 
Much has been written on the mountain beaver's taxonomy and natu- 
ral history, but these writings are scattered throughout the literature 
and include rare manuscripts that are not generally available. No major 
treatise has been written on this interesting and peculiar rodent. 
The purpose of this review is to summarize available knowledge for 
reference use in study and research and to consolidate the many brief 
and scattered references. 
The study was based mainly on an extensive search of the literature. 
It entailed the review and analysis of some 260 collected and collated 
references. References were examined at the following libraries: 
(1) In Washington, D. C. -- the Library of Congress, Department of Agri- 
culture, Department of the Interior, Smithsonian Institution, and the 
U. S. National Museum; (2) in Maryland -- the Patuxent Wildlife Research 
Center at Laurel and the Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville; 
(3) in Colorado -- the Denver Wildlife Research Center and the U. S. 
Geological Survey Library at the Denver Federal Center; and (4) in 
Washington State -- the Forest Research Center in Olympia. Where refer- 
ences were not available for examination, they were cited from authori- 
tative sources, 
The following biologists contributed valuable advice on prepara- 
tion and review of the study: Dan L. Campbell, Wendell E. Dodge, and 
Harry D. Hartwell at the Olympia Forest Research Station, Olympia, 
Washington; Victor B. Scheffer at the Mammal Biological Laboratory, 
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in Seattle; Nelson B. Kverno, and CecilS, 
Williams at the Denver Wildlife Research Center; Kenneth J. Chiavetta, 
Charles F, Kaczynski, Louis N. Locke, and Lucille F. Stickel at the 
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; Richard H. Manville at the National 
Museum; and C, Edward Carlson, Eugene H. Dustman, Walter W. Dykstra, 
and Lee E, Yeager in the Office of the Branch of Wildlife Research. 
Dr. William H. Lawrence, Biologist of the Weyerhaeuser Company, 
Centralia, Washington, and Wendell E, Dodge kindly supplied photographs. 
