60 HUNTER'S AND TRAPPER'S GUIDE. 



once a year, generally in the month of April, 

 giving birth to from two to six at a time, but 

 its increase is not rapid, the young requiring 

 four years in which to get their growth. In 

 hunting beaver you will find from two to 

 eighteen in a family. Many writers say the 

 beaver has as many as two hundred in its 

 family, but that is a mistake. 



Before describing the baits for the beaver 

 it is first necessary to mention the castor, or 

 bark sacs, and the oil stones of that animal. 

 These are found in both sexes in four sacs 

 near the vent ; there being two of the bark 

 sacs and two of the oil sacs or stones. In 

 taking these from the beaver cut around the 

 sacs, leaving all four together, and clean off 

 all the flesh. You will know the castor sacs 

 by their being grown together at the small 

 ends ; these contain a yellow substance while 

 the oil stones are of a long, round shape and 

 contain an oily substance. 



In order to obtain the contents of the cas- 



