330 



formation is a triumph of engineering skill. Wherever the stream is gentle, the 

 dam is built straight across it, and where the current is swift, the dam is curved, 

 so as to present a convex surface to its face. 



Before using the logS' for the construction of their dams the beaver invari- 

 ably remove all the ba,rk, which is carried away and laid up as a winter store for 

 food. 



Near the dams are built the "lodges" or houses, and these are made of moss, 

 leaves, branches and mud. The lodges are circular and about three feet in height 

 and seven feet in diameter. The walls are of extraordinary thickness and the 

 roofs are finished off with thick layers of mud, which are renewed every year. 



Round the lodges a ditch is excavated too deep to be entirely frozen, and 

 into this the lodges open, allowing the beaver to pass out and in at will. 



The teeth of the beaver are singularly sharp and the jaws more than or- 

 dinarily strong. An odoriferous substance called " Castoreum " is secreted in 

 two glandular sacs near the root of the tail, and gives out a powerful odour. This 

 " Castoreum " possesses a strange attraction for the beaver and if scented will 

 cause the animal to sit up and squeal with excitement. The trapper knowing 

 this, usually baits his trap with a twig dipped in the pungent substance, and if 

 the beaver once smells it, his capture becomes more than probable. 



The fur is of a uniform reddish brown and is very valuable, ranking ahead 

 of almost any other fur found in Canada. 



The young are born in June, and four to six are produced at a litter, being 

 born with their eyes open. 



The flesh of the beaver is good and readily eaten by hunters, the tail 

 being considered a great delicacy. The beaver has like all other valuable wild 

 animals, been mercilessly slaughtered in Canada and there is grave danger that 

 the species may soon become extinct. 



