166 NOTES ON BEAVERS. 



subaqueous approaches to the house (oue being on the upper and the 

 other on its lower side), they have cut grooved channels in the bottom 

 of the pool, which conduct them safely when diving from one to the 

 other. Upon the bank they have numerous runs terminating in shallow 

 water, the sides of which are marked by the debris of ferns and twigs. 



Their working hours are between 7 o'clock at night and 7 o'clock in 

 the morning. One beaver is always on duty at each dam, and what- 

 ever they do is achieved with great rapidity. Black thinks they breed 

 in January, but all authorities are against this opinion, which is 

 probably owing to the kittens first appearing in public about that time 

 of the year. 



One fault alone I had to find with my little friends, and that was 

 the apparent extravagance with which they had •' ringed" a very high 

 percentage of the standing timber in the enclosure, without intending 

 to promptly finish the work, as evidenced by the stale appearance of 

 the chips. 



Beavers are captured either by trapping, drawing, or by storming 

 their fortresses. 



In the first instance an iron trap is set close by the bank in shallow 

 water, but with chain enough to reach into a depth of at least four 

 feet. Upon the bank above a little castoreum, mixed with rum or 

 cinnamon, is spilt ; the beaver is attracted by the scent, and when 

 caught dives into deep water, where the weight of the trap holds down 

 and drowns it. Should it, by reason of the river having fallen, not reach 

 the deep water, it will bite off its leg at a joint, draw the sinews out of 

 the shoulder, and escape. 



The second method consists in noiselessly removing part of the 

 dam. As soon as the beavers find the water sinking they come out of 

 their houses and holes to repair the breach, and are then shot. 



Thirdly, the Indians search round the beaver pools for the " washes," 

 opposite each of which they make a hole in the ice ; the women then 

 break intc the beaver-house, which affords the unfortunate animals 

 the choice of three evils — either to stay under the ice and get drowned, 

 or to stay in the house and be killed by the women, or bolt to their 

 " washes " and be killed by the men, who detect their entrance by the 

 ripple in the ice-hole as they pass under, when the aperture is imme- 

 diately staked, the " wash " opened from above, and the poor beast caught, 

 either by hand or with a hook made for the purpose. Sometimes they 

 merely stake the two entrances to the house, break into it, and spear 

 or tomahawk the imprisoned beavers ; or, if it is a lake, simply frighten 

 the beavers out of their houses and shoot them as they come to the 

 surface, as they cannot long exist without air. 



In 1808 the Hudson's Bay Company imported 126,927 pelts, each 

 worth about 19s. ; in 1820 only about .50.000, showing how rapidly their 

 numbers were decreased. 



The fur when shaved off the pelts with a shai-p knife was winnowed 

 in a tube to separate the long hair from the wool ; the latter was then 

 kneaded into felt, through which it worked until it appeared as a 

 perfect surface on the other side, and was ready to make into' hats. 



