376 THE TRAPPER. 



supply of wood that can be obtained and stored for winter 

 use, he will find in all their mode of life a sagacity, a 

 foresight, an intelligence, and a system of organization 

 which elevates them above some races of savage men. 

 Their influence on the features of the country constitutes 

 another parallel with man. One -half the lakes and 

 nearly all the wild meadows are the work of past gene- 

 rations of beavers. First of all, the small brook is 

 dammed ; by-and-by this dam becomes solid, and forest 

 trees take root and grow on it ; as other outlets of the 

 water occur they are closed by these indefatigable workers, 

 till at length the pond assumes the proportions of a lake, 

 and remains for all time to attest to their powers. The 

 meadows are formed by the draining of the lakes. The 

 beaver has left more permanent and enduring monuments 

 of its existence on the surface of the country than the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of Canada have left, or are likely 

 to leave. 



