of 



areas of soil, have checked many a flood, and 

 helped to equalize stream-flow. 



A pile of granite boulders on the edge of the 

 pond stood several feet above the water-level, 

 and from the top of these the entire colony and 

 its operations could be seen. On these I spent 

 days observing and enjoying the autumnal ac- 

 tivities of Beaverdom. 



It was the busiest time of the year for these 

 industrious folk. General and extensive prepar- 

 ations were now being made for the long winter 

 amid the mountain snows. A harvest of scores 

 of trees was being gathered, and work on a new 

 house was in progress, while the old houses were 

 receiving repairs. It was a serene autumn day 

 when I came into the picturesque village of 

 these primitive people. The aspens were golden, 

 the willows rusty, the grass tanned, and the 

 pines were purring in the easy air. 



The colony-site was in a small basin amid 

 morainal debris at an altitude of nine thousand 

 feet above the sea-level. I at once christened it 

 the Moraine Colony. The scene was utterly 

 wild. Peaks of crags and snow rose steeply and 



20 



