Smithsonian Report, 1926.— Bailey PLATE 1 
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAVER HOUSE 
The first step toward a beaver house is the water door, a big hole through which a beaver can 
plunge to safety, even from a mere summer bed in the sphagnum moss, sheltered by low 
bushes or tall grass 
THE SECOND STEP 
The next step is an accumulation of peeled sticks from which the bark has been eaten. As 
these are pushed back from the nest the walls of the house are slowly formed and can be quickly 
completed when a new house is needed. A small beaver house will seem to spring up in a 
single night, but always on an old foundation and around a satisfactory water hole 
