MODE OF TRAPPING BEAVER. . 235 



doubtedly the result of physical exhaustion, which 

 deprived the animal of all power of resistance, as 

 well as carried him beyond the sensation of fear. 

 Rarey's system of taming horses is founded upon the 

 same principle.^ 



In the winter, which is the season for trapping, 

 after the ponds are frozen over and the beavers are 

 housed for the winter, other methods are resorted to, 

 among which is the following: the trapper selects a 

 place in the vicinity of a lodge, cuts a hole through 

 the ice, and puts down into the pond a fresh-cut pole 

 of birch or poplar about ten feet long. While the 

 small end is pushed out into the water, the large end 

 is securely fastened in the edge of the bank, and a 

 trap is set immediately under the place where it is 

 secured. This fresh cutting the trapper knows will 



^ That great fear will produce nearly the same results is shown 

 by the peaceful gathering together of different species of wild ani- 

 mals in South America, when the annual rains deluge the pampas. 

 Upon this subject Lieut. Gibbon remarks : " The Indian builds 

 his hut on those elevated places which remain islands. When 

 the great floods of water come down, crickets, lizards, and snakes 

 crawl into his thatched roof; and droves of wild cattle surround 

 his habitation. Armadillos rub their armor against the pottery 

 in the corner of his hut, while the tiger and the stag stand 

 tamely by. The alligator comes socially up, when the ' gran 

 bestia' seats himself on the steps of the door. The animal fam- 

 ily congregate thus strangely together under the influence of the 

 annual deluge. Those of dry land meet where the amphibious 

 are forced to go ; and as the rains pour down, they patiently 

 wait. Birds fly in and light upon the trees and top of the hut, 

 while fish rise out of the rivers and explore the prairie lands. 

 The animals begin to seek a place of refuge in the month of Jan- 

 uary, when the soil becomes gradually covered." — Exploration 

 of the Valley of the Amazon, Part II. p. 253. 



