THE BEAVER. 55 
build and enlarge the house, cutting their way up 
and forming their chamber or chambers inside, until it 
had now attained the following dimensions at the 
surface of the water (which is here about four feet 
deep), viz. :—height about five feet, length and 
breadth about nine feet, having a door at both sides 
placed at the bottom of the water so as to prevent 
their natural enemies from following them, chief 
among which is the wolverine, although happily for 
both them and us there are none of these here to 
disturb them. 
“tis out of the water they take the materials with 
which they build their house. Were the sides of 
the house perpendicular they could not land; to 
obviate that difficulty they built a slip from two to 
three feet broad at its base, except where the doors 
are, so that they can land easily, and if they wish to 
enlarge the House they have got the foundation 
peady. To secure them against the winter storms, 
they commence about the middle of September and 
give their house a coat of mud all over. It is with 
the mouth and forefeet, which are formed more like 
hands than feet, that they convey the materials of 
which their embankment and house are made. They 
do not use their tail, as was at one time said, for 
plastering on the mud, but their forefeet, with which 
they very carefully stow it in among the sticks. As 
to what they use for a bed to lie on, it is wood 
shavings, which they prepare in the followig manner. 
After using the bark for food, they then place the 
stick on end, holding it with both feet a bit apart 
