THE BEAVER. 183 



builder furnished it with teeth of extraordinary hardness 

 and wonderful cutting powers. These are composed of an 

 extremely hard coat of enamel, the rest of the tooth be- 

 ing of a comparatively soft substance, whereby a cutting, 

 chisel-like edge is obtained : the enamel growing as fast 

 as it is worn away by use, a sharp edge is constantly main- 

 tained. So excellent a cutting instrument is it, that the 

 Indians in the days before iron was at their disposal 

 used to fix beaver teeth in wooden handles with which 

 to cut bone and fashion their horn-tipped spears. The 

 beaver can cut down trees of ten inches in diameter. 

 It sits upon its branches like a squirrel while performing 

 the work, and always makes one side of the cut a good deal 

 higher than the other, by which means it is able to make 

 the tree fall in any desired direction with an accuracy as 

 great as that of the cleverest woodman. 



It is a pity that the beaver has not been domesticated in 

 this country, for a colony at work would be a most interesting 

 feature in a park, and the young would furnish most amusing 

 pets. Like many other animals, beavers when at work 

 always place one of their number on guard, and the approach 

 of danger is indicated by a loud-sounding flap of the broad 

 tail. This tail, as the beaver climbs over its house in the 

 course of construction, doubtless aids in smoothing down 

 the surface, and they occasionally give a flap with it, but 

 there is no reason for believing that it is used by them for 

 the absolute purpose of plastering. It is much to be regretted 

 that so interesting an animal is rapidly disappearing from 

 the face of the earth. 



