SUBSISTENCE OF BEAVERS. 173 



ported thence to the vicinity of their lodges, where 

 they are sunk in a pile as their store of winter pro- 

 visions. Upon this work the whole family engage 

 with the most persevering industry, and follow it up, 

 night after night, until the work is accomplished. 

 The greatest number of beavers ever seen thus en- 

 gaged by any of my informants was nine, while the 

 usual number is much less. These somewhat minute 

 particulars are so far important as they tend to show 

 the existence of the family relation, as well as the 

 number of the family; and they also have some bear- 

 ing upon the question of the recognized right of prop- 

 erty in cuttings. A fair consideration of ascertained 

 facts tends to the inference that each family is left to 

 the undisturbed enjoyment of the fruits of their toil 

 and industry. The manner of reducing and remov- 

 ing limbs of trees will be further explained when we 

 take up that class of cuttings. 



Another and a larger tree cutting of the kind above 

 described, I found the present season (August, 1866), 

 and sent it to the Commissioners of the Central Park, 

 New York. It is a yellow birch, seventeen inches in 

 diameter below the incision, fourteen inches above, 

 and shows a cutting entirely around the tree four and 

 a half inches deep. The incision was not as deep 

 relatively as in the other case; but it removed the 

 whole of the sap-wood and a portion of the duramen. 

 It was cut thus far in the spring of the present year, 

 as the tree was still alive and in full leaf; and with- 

 out doubt for the purpose of eating the chips, as few 

 or none were found at the foot. 



The second engraving (Fig. 2, Plate XV.) is also 

 from a photograph of an original specimen in my col- 



