136 THE BEAVER 
account for such great discrepancies. ‘The subject is a 
puzzle to me with the data at hand at present. Vernon 
Bailey says there seems to be no evidence of more than one 
litter in a season. 
In the Yellowstone I noted something which I never have 
seen mentioned anywhere. It was the feeding of the year- 
lings by the adults. One of the latter would be seen to go on 
shore and return with a load of green food, with whichit would 
swim to a certain part of the pond. Here a yearling or two 
would join it and take part or all of the food and eat it. 
If only a portion was taken the old one carried the remainder 
into the lodge. This was seen several times on different 
evenings. No yearlings were seen to go ashore where the 
adults did, though a few times one did go out at other places 
for a little willow brush. I can not help wondering if these 
“Vvearlings’’ may not really have been the first litter of the 
year, which probably would grow to a good size in three 
months. 
Foster parentage is not unknown among beavers. Miuills 
gives specific instances, and Dugmore also speaks of the 
matter, possibly following Mills. : 
On the whole the home life of the beaver appears to 
be a not unhappy one—when man leaves him alone. The 
beaver works when necessary to obtain food, or to build 
dams, canals or houses. But that does not occupy all its 
time. No building operations are carried on in spring or 
early summer, the season of high water, nor is much tree 
cutting done until late summer. From this time on, over 
much of the animal’s range, it is busy preparing for cold 
weather, repairing dams and lodges, and gathering food. 
When winter comes and everything is frozen up, all there is 
for it to do is toeat and sleep. In the summer some beavers 
like to wander about. These are the males, and possibly 
yearling females. Mother beavers must stay at home and 
