﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  ON 
  A 
  MONTANA 
  BEAVER 
  CANAL. 
  1 
  

  

  I'.y 
  S. 
  Htm. 
  i. 
  man 
  BeBBT. 
  

  

  I'With 
  o 
  plates.] 
  

  

  Less 
  frequently 
  seen 
  than 
  the 
  spectacular 
  dam 
  and 
  lodge, 
  hut, 
  when 
  

   iu 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  perfection, 
  well 
  nigh 
  exceeding 
  either 
  in 
  (he 
  interest 
  

   and 
  wonder 
  which 
  it 
  invariably 
  arouses 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  one 
  fortunate 
  

   enough 
  to 
  encounter 
  it, 
  is 
  the 
  unique 
  example 
  of 
  heaver 
  engineering 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  canal. 
  As 
  familiarity 
  with 
  if 
  increases, 
  one 
  rarely 
  fails 
  

   eventually 
  to 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  altogether 
  the 
  most 
  astounding 
  evidence 
  

   afforded 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  heaver's 
  ex! 
  inordinary 
  " 
  capacity," 
  as 
  Willey 
  puts 
  

   it, 
  " 
  for 
  suiting 
  its 
  labors 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  which 
  it 
  

   inhabits." 
  2 
  The 
  attempt 
  to 
  explain 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  hereditary 
  in- 
  

   stinct 
  alone, 
  in 
  the 
  narrow 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  word, 
  is 
  not 
  wholly 
  convinc- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  comparative 
  rarity 
  of 
  the 
  canals, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  their 
  more 
  

   developed 
  forms, 
  only 
  adds 
  to 
  the 
  astonishment 
  with 
  which 
  each 
  new 
  

   observer 
  views 
  so 
  purposeful 
  a 
  conquest, 
  through 
  efforts 
  both 
  in- 
  

   dividual 
  and 
  cooperative, 
  of 
  difficulties 
  which 
  must, 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  case, 
  be 
  almost 
  wholly 
  peculiar, 
  local, 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   original. 
  Not 
  only 
  is 
  there 
  nothing 
  stereotyped 
  about 
  the 
  construc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  canal, 
  but 
  given 
  the 
  closest 
  possible 
  parallelism 
  in 
  at- 
  

   tendant 
  circumstances, 
  the 
  answer 
  to 
  even 
  the 
  Hat, 
  question 
  of 
  whether 
  

   a 
  canal 
  will 
  be 
  built- 
  or 
  not 
  is 
  variable. 
  In 
  many 
  regions 
  where 
  

   beavers 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  flourish, 
  their 
  haunts 
  may 
  be 
  explored 
  to 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  time 
  without 
  finding 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  an 
  attempt, 
  at 
  

   canal 
  building, 
  3 
  while 
  elsewhere 
  a 
  colony 
  situated 
  under 
  what 
  would 
  

   seem 
  far 
  less 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  has 
  laboriously 
  constructed 
  entire 
  

   systems 
  of 
  these, 
  waterworks. 
  Nor 
  must 
  the 
  possibility 
  be 
  overlooked 
  

   that 
  different 
  species 
  or 
  Subspecies 
  of 
  beaver 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  possessed 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  natural 
  capacities 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  

  

  1 
  Reprinted 
  by 
  permission, 
  with 
  minor 
  changes 
  und 
  additions, 
  from 
  Journal 
  of 
  Mam- 
  

   malogy, 
  vol. 
  4, 
  No. 
  12, 
  May, 
  WVS.',. 
  

  

  a 
  Yet 
  Iiydekker, 
  in 
  the 
  article 
  "Beaver," 
  In 
  the 
  eleventh 
  edition 
  of 
  the 
  &HcyClOpoedia 
  

   Britannlca, 
  falls 
  even 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  existence 
  Of 
  the 
  canals. 
  

  

  8 
  it 
  muni 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  lodges, 
  too, 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  placet 
  conspicuous 
  only 
  for 
  their 
  

   absence, 
  while 
  some 
  colonies 
  have 
  so 
  Forsaken 
  more 
  usual 
  habits 
  as, 
  temporarily 
  al 
  least, 
  

  

  to 
  have 
  given 
  up 
  even 
  dam 
  building. 
  

  

  297 
  

  

  