182 THE AMERICAN BEAVER. 



for transportation, which is but a small part of a large 

 tree. They next trim each limb by cutting off, close 

 to the body, the small branches and twigs, thus free- 

 ing it of brush. There are nine such, large and small, 

 cut off from this stick. How the limbs are cut into 

 sticks of the length of this I am unable to state, but 

 it must be effected before they are brought, by the re- 

 moval of the branches, prone upon the ground. After 

 that they can only be gnawed upon the top and sides, 

 and the stick must be turned to complete the work. 

 Whenever, from any cause, they are unable, as in this 

 case, to turn it over, they are forced to abandon it, or 

 finish their labor in an unusual manner. That they 

 rarely fail is shown by the scarcity of these abandoned 

 cuttings. I have found but three, two of which are 

 in my collection, and the third was left to be brought 

 in, but the person sent after it was unable to retrace 

 the route. 



The short cutting, No. 3 in the engraving, was 

 taken from the top of the lodge at dam No. 14. Both 

 ends are conical, showing that it was turned while 

 being gnawed. There are two extra cuts, which on 

 close examination show the same fact. The only ex- 

 planation which can be offered for these extra inci- 

 sions is that the wood itself was eaten. Stick No. 4, 

 which is a poplar, is marked in precisely the same 

 way. These apparently unnecessary gnawings are 

 often found on beaver cuttings. No. 5 is the stub of 

 a small tree, with two deep incisions around it, while 

 it was taken off at a third place above. These are 

 the only evidences found upon the cuttings themselves 

 that they ever eat clear wood. It was stated by some 

 of the early writers that the beaver subsisted upon 



