THE BEAVER. 369 



water trickling over the dam. The only noises made by 

 the beaver are a sort of groan or grunt, which the female 

 utters in the spring of the year for the purpose of bringing 

 her lord and master to her side (this noise the trapper 

 imitates for his own base purposes), and a hissing noise, 

 which they make when fighting, or when they are at- 

 tacked by a dog. They have also a habit of striking the 

 water violently with their tail. This I have frequently 

 observed them to do when alarmed. 



The trapper, having discovered the house, lays down his 

 bundle to leeward for few animals have sharper noses than 

 the beaver and with his gun and steel traps creeps up to 

 reconnoitre the premises, to find out the probable number 

 of the family, and to determine upon his mode of attack. 

 Frequently there are several houses and a number of 

 families all in the same neighbourhood. In this case 

 our trapper resolves to spend a considerable time on the 

 brook, and to set a number of traps on the thoroughfares 

 of the beaver ; making these traps gives him two or three 

 days' hard work. The beaver trap is a deadfall of con- 

 siderable weight, nicely adjusted over the animal's road 

 or track, frequently on a dam. To make assurance doubly 

 sure, a little hedge of dry sticks is made on each side 

 of the trap, which compels the beaver to pass under it. 

 The trap, too, should, if possible, be made of dry or 

 peeled wood, as it is a decided sell to find it pulled 

 down and carried off bodily to the beaver's storehouse. 

 The animal passing under the deadfall has to step on a 

 little stick raised an inch or two above thfe ground, and 

 this brings down the deadfall on its back. Simple and 

 rough as these traps appear, to set them with success re- 



2 B 



