CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITAT. 27 



and to handle them with great dexterity while cut- 

 ting them, and also to carry mud and stones. As he 

 is capable of sitting up erect upon his hind legs, and 

 of walking upon them, his paws are thus liberated, 

 and by that means his architectural skill is rendered 

 possible. Man's great superiority over the inferior 

 animals is shown in nothing more conspicuously than 

 in the freedom of his hands. 



The beaver is a burrowing animal, his normal hab- 

 itation being the burrow rather than the lodge. To 

 enable him to excavate the large chambers under 

 ground, hereafter described, his paws are armed with 

 claws which are long, curving, and strong. In a full- 

 grown beaver, the claw upon the third finger measures 

 seven-eighths of an inch. Those upon the hind feet 

 are still longer and broader, and equally well adapted 

 to assist in excavating burrows. Upon the second 

 toe of each hind foot there is an extra claw, set im- 

 mediately under the true one and transversely. It is 

 very thin, broad, and round edged, and projects nearly 

 to the tip of the claw. It is peculiar to this animal. 



In its form, structure, and uses, the tail, of which 

 a representation will be found in Plate II., is the 

 most conspicuous organ of the beaver. It is nearly flat, 

 broad, and straight, and covered with horny scales of 

 a lustrous black. These scales, which are such in ap- 

 pearance only, cover every portion of the surface both 

 above and underneath. The tail is attached to a pos- 

 terior projection of the body extending some inches 

 beyond the pelvis, and is furnished with strong mus- 

 cular attachments, by means of which its movements 

 are determined. Its principal uses are to elevate or 

 depress the head while swimming, to turn the body 



