BEAVER 435 comes very tame. The habitat of the Amer- ican beaver formerly extended from the Arctic sea to the gulf of Mexico; they were found in the greatest number near Hudson bay, on the shores of Lake Superior, at the head waters of the Mississippi, and on the Yukon, Mackenzie, Frazer, and Sacramento rivers. During the colonial period beavers were abun- dant in New England, New York, to some extent in the Canadas, and on the margins of rivers throughout the south; they are still seen, but rarely, in Maine, New York, and Vir- ginia. Colonization, which the beaver, hunted for its fur, in no small degree induced in some regions, contracted its habitat ; later trapping and hunting has completely exterminated the animal in regions where it once was abundant, and it is now found only in the Hudson Bay territory, in the Canadas, in upper Michigan, on the upper Missouri, and to some extent in Washington, Nevada, California, and Oregon. The colonists and the Indians pursued the beaver hunt with such rapacity as to extermi- nate the animal in regions within reach, and as early as 1700 beaver skins were no longer ex- ported from New England, New York, and the middle states. Settlement and hunting at the west have driven beavers within a narrower circle ; and the hunter's ingenuity in traps and scent baits, with a knowledge of the habits of the animal, soon results in the capture of nearly every beaver in the hunted.region. The trap- ping season begins in November and ends in March, but the hunt is pursued throughout the year, in spring, summer, and fall on the dams, and in winter through the ice. A trapper manages from 50 to 70 traps in a circuit of 30 or 40 miles ; and on the S. shore of Lake Su- perior an Indian family of four good trappers will take from 75 to 150 bearers in a season. Of late years the substitution of silk for fur for hats, and the consequent decline in the value of the skins, have caused a relaxation of the hunt and some increase in the numbers of the animal on the upper Mississippi and around Lake Superior. A regulation of the Hudson Bay company compels an interval of five years in a beaver district after a season's hunt before trapping is resumed ; but it is not possible for , the beaver to recover its former numbers in any region. There was, however, an increased activity in trapping and in the trade in 1871, occasioned by use of the fur in Russia and on the continent for trimmings for ladies' wear, and for men's gloves and collars ; and in Janu- ary, 1872, there was an advance of 35 per cent, over the prices in 1871. The extent of this fur trade may be estimated from the following sta- tistics : In 1624 the Dutch West India company began the trade in America by exporting from New Amsterdam 400 skins ; from 1025 to 1635, 81,183 skins were exported ; in 1743 the Hud- son Bay company exported 150,000 skins; du- ring the years 1854, 1855, and 1856 this com- pany sold in London 627,655 beaver skins, a portion of the first sales being the accumulation of previous years. In 1871 the London sales of the Hudson Bay company were 124,538 skins, but probably the entire sales abroad were 150,000 skins, to which must be added 25,000 skins in the United States, making the production for the year in the United States, at Hudson bay, and on the Columbia river, 175,000 skins. From January 1 to March 6, 1872, the Hudson Bay company sold in three auctions in London 35,510 skins. During the Dutch occupation of New Amsterdam pelts were worth about $2 25, and were used as part of the currency ; in 1820 on the upper Mis- souri beaver skins were worth $7 and $8 per pound ; in the same locality in 1862 they brought $1 25, and in 1868 $2 per pound. In 1872 the price in London was from 10*. to 34*. per skin, according to color and size, and $4 gold for the best skins in the United States ; for cub skins 3*. to 4. sterling. The large skins weigh from 1| to 2 Ibs. The European beaver was once found in the British islands, in all parts of the continent, in Siberia, and in Asia Minor. It is now extinct, except in rarely found solitary pairs on some of the rivers, such as the Rhine, Rhone, and Danube, and in Siberia. The European is a larger ani- mal than the American beaver, with a paler- colored fur; and, though probably not a dis- tinct species, its habits are difi'erent. It is solitary, not gregarious, and generally lives in burrows instead of constructing lodges and dams. See " The American Beaver and his Works," by Lewis H. Morgan (8vo, Phila- delphia, 1868). BEAVER. I. A W. county of Pennsylvania, bordering on Ohio, and intersected by the Ohio and Beaver rivers ; area, 650 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 36,178. The soil near the streams is remarkably fertile. The surface is undulating, and in some places covered with extensive for- ests. Bituminous coal and limestone are abun- dant. The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chi- cago, and the Pittsburgh and Cleveland rail- roads traverse the county. The chief produc- tions in 1870 were 174,508 bushels of wheat, 59,800 of rye, 414,233 of Indian corn, 532,625 of oats, 21,540 of barley, 193,425 of potatoes, 30,224 tons of hay, 936,107 Ibs. of butter, and 421,907 of wool. There were 5,882 horses, 7,901 milch cows, 6,702 other cattle, 98,300 sheep, and 12,092 swine. Capital, Beaver. II. A S.W. county of Utah, bordering on Nevada, and intersected by Sevier river; area, about 3,500 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 2,007. The Wah- satch mountains lie along the E. border, and a portion of Preuss lake is in the N. W. part. There is some good farming land, and deposits of iron, lead, and silver are found, and have been somewhat mined. Capital, Beaver City. BEAVER, Philip, an English navigator and philanthropist, born Feb. 28, 1760, died at the Cape of Good Hope, April 5, 1813. He served in the royal navy during the war of the Amer- ican revolution, and after the peace organized an association to found a colony in Africa for
