1 82 THOSE OTHER ANIMALS. 



The beaver bestows no pains whatever upon the furnish- 

 ing of its house, the interior of which is as bare as that of an 

 Arab tent. There is a platform raised above the level of 

 the water, where the beaver and his family can dry and comb 

 their fur, they being more particular in the latter respect 

 than the human female of the present day, whose tastes lie 

 wholly in the direction of disorder and fuzziness. The 

 habits of the beaver when at home have not been 

 sufficiently studied to enable them to be described with 

 any accuracy, the beaver having a marked objection to such 

 investigations. That they are sociable in their habits is 

 evident by the way in which they will congregate on the roofs 

 of their houses, but whether they visit each other and 

 have entertainments analogous to afternoon tea is unknown. 

 It may be considered probable, however, that the females 

 meet and compare notes as to their families and domestic 

 arrangements; but, as it does not appear that any of the 

 beavers stand to each other in the relation of master and 

 servant, one of the most fruitful topics of gossip must be 

 wanting. The beaver is not, like the otter, the quadruped 

 whose habits most closely resemble its own, a fish-eater, 

 but like its distant cousin, the vole, feeds entirely upon 

 vegetables, its favourite diet being the stalk of an aquatic 

 plant which in appearance resembles a cabbage stalk; it 

 will, however, eat almost anything in the way of vegetables. 

 In captivity its tastes become modified, and it will, like the 

 dog, accommodate itself to circumstances, and eat meat, 

 pudding, or anything else that its master may be taking. 

 It is very easily tamed, and becomes extremely affectionate 

 and attached to those around it. 



As may be expected, nature in making the beaver a 



