THE BEAVER AND HIS WORKS. 



15 



position, but not inclined to be social except among immediate rela- 

 tives. They are also the perfection of neatness and cleanliness, pos- 

 sessed of very acute sight, hearing, and smell ; and, when domesticated, 

 very interesting and even affectionate pets. 



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Fig. 1.— The Beaveb. 



During the summer they are more inclined to solitary habits, ex- 

 cept where a new settlement demands their energies ; but in autumn 

 they appear in families, which remain unbroken until the following 

 spring. About the middle of August the busy season begins, and 

 each and every one, both great and small, assist in repairing the dam 

 and dwellings, which for some months have been allowed to fall into 

 neglect and unrepair. Trees are felled and cut into suitable lengths, 

 and, along with stones and clods, dragged laboriously to the scene of 

 labor until all is made again secure against ice and cold. Other trees, 

 such as larch, willow, birch, and aspens, are cut up into billets and 

 twigs, and stored for the food their bark affords, against possible want. 

 Their perseverance in this work, the labor expended, and the strength 

 of teeth and jaws, may be fairly estimated by the stumps that remain, 

 as they are found of all diameters, from the smallest brush- wood to 

 grovv^ths a foot or more in diameter. I have seen stumps that meas- 

 ured but a fraction less than sixteen inches. 



It is with the front or incisor teeth that the cutting is done, and 

 they are eminently adapted to the work, being long, square-crowned, 

 and with edges beveled in the same way as is the carpenter's chisel 

 known as a " firmer " ; and the rapidity with which the work is per- 

 formed may well astonish one who is fortunate enough to witness their 

 proceedings. 



Commencing at a height of twelve or fourteen inches from the 



