312 APPENDICES. 



age, and sucb berries as grow near their haunts during that 

 season. 



When the ice breaks up in the spring, the beaver always leave 

 their houses, and rove about the whole summer, probably in search 

 of a more commodious situation ; but in case of not succeeding 

 in their endeavors, they return again to their old habitations a 

 little before the fall of the leaf, and lay in their winter stock of 

 woods. The}^ seldom begin to repair the houses till the frost 

 commences, and never finish the outer coat till the cold is pretty 

 severe, as has been already mentioned. 



When they shift their habitations, or when the increase of their 

 number render it necessary to make some addition to their houses, 

 or to erect new ones, they begin felling the wood for these pur- 

 poses early in the summer, but seldom begin to build till the mid- 

 dle or latter end of August, and never complete their houses till 

 the cold weather be set in. 



Notwithstanding what has been so repeatedly reported of these 

 animals assembling in great bodies, and jointly erecting large 

 towns, cities, and commonwealths, as they have sometimes been 

 called, I am confident from many circumstances, that even where 

 the greatest number of beaver are situated in the neighborhood 

 of each other, their labors are not carried on jointly in tiie erec- 

 tion of their different habitations, nor have they any reciprocal 

 interest except it be such as live immediately under the same 

 roof; and then it extends no further than to build or keep a dam 

 which is common to several houses. In such cases it is natural 

 to think that every one who seemed benefited from such a dam, 

 should assist in erecting it, being sensible of its utility to all. 



Persons who attempt to take beaver in winter should be thor- 

 oughly acquainted with their manner of life ; otherwise they will 

 have endless trouble to effect their jjurpose, and probably with- 

 out success in the end ; because they always have a number of 

 holes in the banks which serve them as places of retreat when 

 any injury is oifered to their houses, and in general it is in these 

 holes that they are taken. 



When the beaver which are situated in a small river or creek 

 are to be taken, the Indians sometimes find it necessary to stake 

 the river across, to prevent them from passing; after which they 

 endeavor to find out all their holes or places of retreat in the 

 banks. This requires much practice and experience to accom- 



