100 OBSERVATIONS ON TIIK BEAVER. 



ho had iiin in the way of another man, who bj' exaniinhiij: 

 the wood he had cut, noticed it appeared like wood cut 

 with a dull ax", and inferred from that fact that he had 

 been in a tight place and dulled his teeth upon the iron 

 which held him. Bein^^ thus informed of his true char- 

 acter, a soil of bh)ckade was prepared at some distance 

 from his home, and he was soon taken in attempting to 

 retreat. About the time his pelt was taken oil" his former 

 persecutors came up, and found the beaver had but one 



sound foot ; and that he had learnt more of their character 

 in the school of adversity, than they had ever known of 



his. 



When the Indians owned the country they considered 

 the beavei' as [)roperty, and managed them somewhat as 

 we do our cattle. AMienever they left them they were 

 sure to find them at any future day ; and when they wished 

 to kill any, they selected the old ones and left the young 

 ones to multiply and raise another family. The usual 

 way of making the selection was to prepare a back load of 

 stakes, and creep cautiously to the canal between the 

 house and pond, and make a strong fence across it, then 

 draw ofl' the water from the pond, drive them out of their 

 house, and they have them in a deep ditch between the 

 house and their fence, and could kill such as they pleased 

 with a lance like a bayonet or by a rap with a tomahawk. 



AVhen the white settlers crowded upon them, the Ind- 

 ians knowing that their right of property in wild animals 

 would not ))e respected, made a general raid upon the 

 beaver and other animals of value to them. In this iren- 

 eral slaughter, a few escaped which in many cases began 

 to increase and doubtless would have remained amouir us 

 to this day, had they been as wisely treated by the whites 

 as they had been ])y the Indians. There is no doubt that 

 all N>w I'^ngknid was originall}^ densely inhabited by bea- 

 vers, and .that they were very plenty in Vermont, as the 

 remains of their works may yet be seen on almost every 

 small stream. 



The last visit the Indians made the beaver in this part 



