98 OliSEKVATIONS OX THE BEAVEH. 



and how many waters he snrveys in his search for a home 

 is not known, bnt he is generally found on a stream not 

 larger than a medium sized mill stream and often nnieh 

 smaller, and always located on the best spot for his i)ur- 

 poses, on the whole length of it. This fact, which is ad- 

 mitted by all who are familiar with his habits, tends to 

 prove that he had searched the whole stream, compared 

 all the different })laces, and selected, like a good engineer, 

 the very best. His great object in all this, is to tind a 

 plentiful young groAvth of such timber as he wishes to live 

 ni)()n, situated where he can raise the water near to it l)y 

 a dam that will not be very expensive. 



1 have always thought that in choosing his place of res- 

 idence, in locating and deciding the hight of his dam, the 

 beaver exhibits a high degree of inti'llecl, which, if styled 

 instinct, niakes it ditficult to find the dividing })oint be- 

 tween that principh' and sound judgement or reason. 

 Having chosen his spot for the dam, he begins by cultiug 

 the wood and brush whicli are to form a part of it. I ex- 

 amined one in process of construction, where the alders 

 were all cut on half an acre or more, and a share of them 

 woven and twisted together, and laid in the line of the 

 dam, in appearance like a large windrow of hay. I thiidi 

 the alder, not being used for food, is used almost exclu- 

 sively for building i)urposes. On the same stream below, 

 there was an estal)lishment where eii>ht beavers were tak- 

 en ; and in closing up my business Avith them it became 

 necessary to draw otf the pond in order to tind one of 

 them. The dam was a little more than five feet high, 

 formed like the roof of a building and so compact, and 

 well tilled in with earth, that no freshet could move it, and 

 no w^ater pass through it. In making drain through it I 

 found i)lenty of work for a short November day. Xo 

 stick could be pulled out till cut in two places, Avhen the 

 part between could be removed. The house is built of 

 the same material, and situated a little back from the deep 

 Avater on a bog or head-land Avith a canal reaching to the 

 pond, so deep that the ice Avill not obstruct it. 



