The beaver is active day and nit^ht and when 

 swimming it ships the water violently with its tail to 

 warn others when danger approaches. It is also inter- 

 esting to note that when a Beaver is cutting down a 

 tree, it invariably strikes the ground with its tail as a 

 warning to others in the vicinity, when the tree is about 

 to fall/ 



The beaver is the largest of the rodents and may 

 w^eigh up to fifty pounds. Its color is a dark chesnut 

 brown on the back, blending to a lighter, almost cinna- 

 mon, brov/n beneath and on the sides. 



The head is rounded and the nose is blunt. The 

 large orange colored incisors are quite prominent. The 

 ears are short and the body is thick and heavy set. The 

 legs are short and each foot has five toes. The second 

 toe on the webbed hind feet has a double or divided 

 claw. The beaver has anal musk glands w^hich secrete 

 a strong-smelling fluid. There are tw^o coats of hair, 

 the outer being longer and coarser than the soft under 

 fur. Both the females and the males are alike and there 

 is only a slight seasonal variation. 



The total length of an adult beaver is about forty- 

 two inches. The tail is about sixteen inches long and 

 the hind feet measure almost seven inches. 



Beavers are apparently monogamists and probably 

 mate for life. Mating takes place in February and the 

 young, numbering from three to eight, are born in 

 May. 



At the present time beavers are quite scarce, al- 

 though a splendid colony thrives in Potter County. The 

 beaver is fully protected by the game laws of Penn- 

 sylvania, and it is to be hoped that its numbers will 



-*>C 127 ><*- 



