60 Natural History and Huntinrj of the Beaver. 



three or four beavers piloting a large tree clown stream, and noticed 

 that when they were approaching its destination they shoved it into 

 the eddies inshore. They always cut down the trees above their lodges, 

 never on any occasion below. In winter they have a store of food secured 

 at some convenient distance frovi their abodes. "When they require any 

 they start off to get it. They do not eat there, but bring it to their 

 house, and there make their meal. Of the almost human intelligence 

 of the "thinking beaver" the stories are innumerable ; but many of 

 them are much exaggerated, or even fabulous (such as BufFon's 

 account). The following is tolerably well authenticated, ray inform- 

 ants vouching for the accuracy of it : In a creek about four miles 

 above the' mouth of Quesnelle river, in British Columbia, some miners 

 broke down a dam, in the course of the operation for making a ditch, 

 at the same time erecting a wheel to force up the water. Beavers 

 abounded on this stream, and found themselves much inconvenienced 

 by these proceedings. Accordingly, it is said that, in order to stop 

 the wheel, the beavers placed a stick between the flappers, in such a 

 way as to stop the revolutions of the wheel. This was so continually 

 repeated night after night, and was so artfully performed, as to pre- 

 clude the possibility of its being accidental. 



In " j^otes on the Habits of the Beaver," presented to the Eoyal 

 Physical Society by Mr. James M'Kenzie, of the Hudson Bay Com- 

 pany's service, and to all appearance most careful and trustworthy 

 details are given, differing somewhat from those related by IMessrs. 

 Green (in the foregoing paper) and Tod. 



When I lived among the Opicheshaht Indians, at the head of the 

 Alberni Canal, V. I., I heard much about Attoh, the beaver, but 

 remarkably little to the credit of its sagacity. They look upon it as 

 a common-place animal, requiring no particular skill to trap. They 

 used to tell us all sorts of stories about it ; but I think they all con- 

 tain a vein of fiction. Mr. G. M. Sproat has gathered some of this 

 information into his excellent " Scenes and Studies of Savage Life," 

 to wliich I refer. The beavers lie in these houses, as the Indian 

 expresses it, "like boys;" but when the female has young ones, she 

 goes into a separate bed or chamber, I could not ascertain Avhich. 

 There is no storv in a beaver-house for convenience of chausre in ca?e 

 of floods ; the waste-way is generally sufficient to carry off" any extra- 

 ordinary quantity of water. In the Alberni country, at least, the 

 houses on the banks of lakes are abandoned when the water is very 

 high ; and the beavers go to small streams, which they form into a 

 succession of diminutive lakes ; in these they breed. He sleeps dur- 

 ing the day, and comes out at night to feed. He can not see far, Init 

 he is keen of scent. The Opicheshaht approach to leeward at night, 



