THK BBAVBR. 465 



dexterously, to peel it as really as if tin- nix-ration lial IX-.MI |-rfoniied by human hands with 



ill.- :ii<l ^f :i knife. 



Nut all the Beavers employ themselves in the** united labors, for there are some which, 

 likt- dr.. ties, refuse to take any part in th- \ .rooeedingH, and are technically called I,--. 

 pareaseux. or tin- Idlers, by the Beavi-r -hunters. These animals make no <lam an. I I -nil. I n<> 

 house, nut content th.-iHH.-lv.-s with excavating long tunnels and taking up their alxxle th.-r.-in 

 Several of theae idlers inhabit the sain.- burrow, and as they are always males, it is supposed 

 that they must have been conquered in tin- mutest.* which take place |M-t\\,--u MH.M male 

 animals \\hil.- they are seeking th.-ir mates, and that they must have retired into comparathe 

 solitude until th.-y have gained sufficient strength and courage to renew the light. These 

 idlers are gladly welcomed by the hunters, for they are easily caught, and a skilful trupper 

 thinks himself ill used if lie d.-s n.it rapture .-\.-ry idler that he may meet. 



We now must bestow a little time on the curious odoriferous substance which is call.il 

 "caatoreum " by the learned, and " bark-stone " by tin- trappers. This substance is secreted in 

 two glandular sacs which an- placed near the root of the tail, and gives out an extremely jx>wer- 

 ful <xJor. 



To the castoreum the trapper is mostly indebted for his success, for the Beavers are 

 strangely attract. -d l>y this substance, and if their nostrils jxTceivc its distant s<-.-nt, tin- 

 animals will sit upright, sniff about in every direction, and absolutely squeal with excitement. 

 Taking advantage ..f tins curious projH-nsity. the hunter always carries a supply of castor. -nm. 

 in a closed veaael, and when h<> comes to a convenient >|><>t for placing his trap, he sets the imp 

 and then proceeds to manufacture his bait. This prrx?ess is simple enough, consisting merely 

 of taking a little twig of wxxxl alx)iit nine inches long, chewing one end of it and dipping it in 

 the castoreum. The trap is now laid so as to be covered by about six inches of water, and the 

 stick arranged so that its |>erfumed tip projects from the water. Any Heaver which scents this 

 bait will most certainly come to it, and will proldhly lx- captured in the tmp. 



Connected with this strange mode of baiting a trap, Is a habit which has only recently 

 been brought before the public by the researches ,,f M, -M v Audulx>n and Hachman. 



If twi I'M -aver lodges are tolerably near each other, the inhabitants of the one lodge, 

 which we will call lodge A, go to a little distance for the purpose of ridding themselves of the 

 superabundant caatoreum. The Beavers of lodge B. smelling the eastorenm. go to the same s|,,,t. 

 and cover the odoriferous substance with a thick layer of earth and leaves. They then place their 

 own castoreum ujxm the heap, and return home. The inhabitants of lodge A then go thmui:li 

 precisely the same process, until they have raised a mound some four or live feet in height. 



To return to the baited trap sjx>ken of in the last paragraph but one. If the |V.-a\er 

 which smells the bait is a young one. it \\ill almost certainly In- captured : but if it should 

 chance to be an old and experienced animal, it will not only avoid capture, but render the trip 

 useless until it has been re-set. For instead of trying to get at the bait, it f.-tch.-s quantities 

 of mud and stones, heaps its load upon the trip until it has raised a small mound, and after 

 placing its own superabundant castoreum ujxin the little hillock, goes away in safety. 



In spite of their store of provisions, the Ii.-av.-rs Ix-come very thin during th< \\inter 

 months, so that they are in bad case when spring comes in. However, tin- succulent diet \\hich 

 they th.-n find has a rapid and beneficial effect upon them, and by the beginning of autOUi 

 they are quite fat. By study of the Beaver's habit-, the trappers are enabled to prognosticate 

 the kind of weather which is likely to hap]M-n. For example, as it is well known that the 

 Beavers always cut their winter's store of wood in pxxl season, the fact of their early com 

 mencement of this labor shows that winter will be earlier than usual. 



The color of the long shining hairs which cover the back of the I5.-av.-r is a liirht chestnut, 

 and the fine wool that lies next to the skin i- a s<,ft grayish-brown. The total I-ni:th of the 

 animal is abont three feet and a half: the tlat. padd I.- shaped, scale-covered tail being about 

 on.- foot in length. The flesh of the Beaver is eaten by the trappers, who compare it to flabby 

 pork. The tail is something like beef marrow, when properly cooked, but it is too rich and 

 oily to suit the taste of most persons. The female Beaver produces about three or four yonmr 

 at a litter, and the little creatures are .born with open eyes. 



