﻿283 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



them peculiar facilities for floating the timber they make use of in 

 erecting their houses. The site chosen, let us suppose that it is 

 a river or creek, the first step is to build a dam across the stream, 

 and this is always made at the shallowest part. To build, they 

 make use of small trees and the branches of larger ones, which they 

 cut down with their teeth as easily, if not as rapidly, as men do with 

 a saw. If a large tree is nigh the spot where the dam is to be made, 

 they proceed to fell it across the stream ; and having done this, they 

 trim off those leaves and branches which are in the way, and use 

 them as occasion demands. It is an exceedingly curious sight, a 

 community of beavers, perhaps two hundred in number, all busily 

 employed in this work of building a dam some cutting down trees, 

 others floating them to the desired spot, and others again twisting 

 boughs together to strengthen the work, or throwing in stones and 

 mud to effect the same object. When they have adjusted a portion 

 of their work, they hammer it hard with their flat, strong tails. 

 They exhibit great ingenuity, also, in adapting the shape of the dam 

 to the nature of the current. If it be gentle, they build straight 

 across; if it be swift or violent, they make a considerable curve, 

 thus proving themselves to be wise builders. 



These dams are so strongly built that they last for many years, 

 and remain even long after their architects have disappeared. When 

 the dam is completed and perfectly tight, the whole community pro- 

 ceed to the labor of house-building. Their habitations are built 

 upon the edge of the pond created by the dam, and are sometimes 

 three stories in height. The walls are composed of sticks, grass, 

 mud and stones. The ends of sticks and logs projecting inward are 

 cut off by the animals, and used as material to carry up the fabric. 

 They continually hammer the work with their tails. Their huts 

 are not square, but rather oval in shape. The rooms all connect 

 with each other, and every one has two openings, to allow of entrance 

 and exit ; and also to enable the beavers to remove everything that 

 could defile their houses, for they are as clean as they are ingenious. 



It takes the industrious animals most of the summer to com- 

 plete their building operations, and in the autumn they proceed to 

 gather in their stores for the winter. These stores consist of 

 branches of trees the birch and other varieties which they soften 



