﻿BEAVER 
  CANAL 
  — 
  BERRY. 
  301 
  

  

  it 
  traverses, 
  the 
  system 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  several 
  very 
  differently 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  segments. 
  Since 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  watercourse 
  proper 
  is 
  con- 
  

   cerned 
  these 
  segments 
  chanced 
  to 
  coincide 
  almost 
  exactly 
  in 
  extent 
  

   with 
  the 
  three 
  principal 
  curves, 
  it 
  becomes 
  convenient 
  to 
  resort 
  to 
  a 
  

   correspondingly 
  arranged 
  treatment 
  for 
  its 
  description. 
  A 
  glance 
  at 
  

   the 
  accompanying 
  diagram 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  will 
  be 
  helpful 
  in 
  render- 
  

   ing 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  discussion 
  clearer. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  or 
  lower 
  segment 
  (pis. 
  1 
  and 
  2, 
  and 
  pi. 
  3, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  comprises, 
  

   or 
  rather 
  did 
  comprise, 
  the 
  main 
  canal, 
  leading 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  

   crescent 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  into 
  a 
  long 
  slough 
  curved 
  in 
  the 
  reverse 
  

   direction, 
  which 
  was 
  utilized 
  as 
  the 
  second 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  

   only 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  exhibits 
  evidence 
  of 
  artificial 
  treatment 
  by 
  the 
  

   beavers. 
  The 
  third 
  segment 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  narrower 
  canal 
  

   which 
  passes 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  an 
  ephemeral 
  rivulet 
  into 
  a 
  mere 
  beaten 
  trail 
  

   which 
  finally 
  loses 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  undergrowth, 
  some 
  1,145 
  feet 
  meas- 
  

   ured 
  by 
  the 
  canal, 
  from 
  where 
  the 
  latter 
  left 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  first-mentioned 
  division 
  of 
  these 
  extensive 
  works, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  

   readily 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  one 
  of 
  primary 
  importance 
  and 
  interest. 
  The 
  

   terrain 
  here 
  not 
  only 
  offered 
  certain 
  special 
  advantages 
  for 
  the 
  con- 
  

   struction 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  work, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  certain 
  noteworthy 
  

   difficulties, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  advantage 
  of 
  or 
  

   overcome, 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  chanced 
  to 
  be, 
  in 
  quite 
  a 
  remarkable 
  manner. 
  

   A 
  little 
  way 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  separated 
  therefrom 
  by 
  a 
  low, 
  

   willow-covered 
  ridge 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  swamp, 
  no 
  doubt 
  originally 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   longation 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  slough 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  paragraph 
  as 
  

   constituting 
  the 
  second 
  principal 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  watercourse. 
  

   Students 
  of 
  beaver 
  bionomics 
  have 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  called 
  attention 
  

   to 
  the 
  interesting 
  aptitude 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  animals 
  in 
  carrying 
  a 
  

   canal 
  across 
  a 
  slope 
  by 
  banking 
  the 
  excavated 
  earth 
  largely 
  or 
  

   wholly 
  on 
  the 
  down 
  side. 
  6 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  instance 
  a 
  complication 
  

   enters 
  in, 
  the 
  mastering 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   interesting 
  single 
  claim 
  to 
  novelty 
  which 
  this 
  particular 
  canal 
  

   possesses. 
  For 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  the 
  desired 
  connection 
  between 
  

   the 
  flooded 
  slough 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  beavers 
  had 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  pierce 
  

   the 
  low, 
  willow-clad 
  ridge 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  (pi. 
  4, 
  fig. 
  1), 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  

   way 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  watercourse 
  across 
  the 
  depression 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  

   miry 
  swale. 
  By 
  felling 
  and 
  removing 
  innumerable 
  willows 
  they 
  

   might 
  have 
  accomplished 
  this 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  manner 
  followed 
  in 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  simple 
  slope, 
  running 
  the 
  canal 
  along 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  swale 
  and 
  

   banking 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  down 
  side 
  only, 
  but 
  this 
  would 
  have 
  necessitated 
  an 
  

   enormous 
  amount 
  of 
  labor. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  better 
  way 
  to 
  solve 
  the 
  

   problem, 
  a 
  way 
  which 
  any 
  irrigation 
  engineer 
  would 
  have 
  chosen 
  

   under 
  the 
  pressure 
  of 
  similar 
  circumstances, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  chosen 
  

  

  « 
  E. 
  g., 
  Mills, 
  In 
  Beaver 
  World, 
  p. 
  88. 
  

  

  