518 CHARACTER STUDY OF A BEAVER. 



tree. Observing- no inovcinent, and not ])eing' of a suspicious nature, 

 he soon swam ashore, and immediately walked, moving for all the 

 world like a large, smoothly coated Canadian porcupine, straight to 

 the corner of the fence that separated him from his relatives. Once 

 there, he stood on his hind legs and tail, and with front feet resting on 

 the horizontal bar, he gazed with a longing, wistful expression at the 

 lodge in which the other heavers lived. Never surely was loneliness 

 shown more eloquently than by this animal as he stood there, the very 

 picture of solitude. For ten minutes he remained thus, motionless 

 except when, as though no longer able to endure his misery, he would 

 bite the hard, cold bars of iron, as he had bitten them every evening 

 during three long weary months. Did he imagine that, perhaps, some 

 day he would find the bars had softened and would yield to his chisel- 

 edged teeth — teeth that, were he in his native wilds, would work 

 their way through anything save the stones or the cruel metal of the 

 steel trap? 



Wishing to examine more closely this interesting animal, I 

 approached quietly, hoping not to disturl) him; ])ut he felt uncer- 

 tain of my intentions, and before I had lessened the distance between 

 us by more than a few steps, he dropped on all fours, and after 

 regarding me curiously for a minute or two, turned and made for the 

 water. Once there he felt more secure. Usually at the least sign of 

 danger he would slap the water loudly with his large, flat tail as a 

 warning to his friends, and then instantly disappear from view and 

 retreat to the privacy of his gloomy burrow. This time, as the dan- 

 ger did not appear to be imminent, he contented himself with diving 

 silently, coming to the surface at the farther side of the pond, from 

 which place he watched me. 



Soon, however, his curiosity got the better of his natural timidit)^ 

 and he swam Ijack toward his regular landing place, which was as 

 clearly defined as an otter\s slide. He swam slowl3% stopping 

 repeatedl}" as though in doubt of his visitor's intentions. Suddenly, 

 and with no apparent reason, he concluded there was no cause for fear, 

 and immediately came forward, landing within 2 feet of where I stood. 

 Once on shore, he again doubted the wisdom of his course and hesi- 

 tated, not quite liking to pass so near a human being. Sitting half 

 erect on his hind legs, with his small forepaws held close beneath his 

 chin, he carefully watched me, while his nose moved slowly, as though 

 he were trying to scent an enemy. 



A few minutes sufficed for this examination, by which we estab- 

 lished a certain degree of mutual confidence at once pleasing and use- 

 ful, for I hoped on the following day to take a few photographs of 

 this newly acquired friend, and of course it is highly desirable that 

 one should be on a footing of trust with one's model, especially when 

 the latter has the retiring disposition of the beaver. It was rapidly 



