72 BEAVER 



sticks there may be near or on the bottom. Most 

 trappers prefer to place the trap deep, say in 

 nine inches of water, and to get the beaver by 

 the hind paw, which more than doubles his 

 chances of remaining in the trap. A beaver ap- 

 proaching a landing will always do so swimming 

 and not walking. As they seldom use the fore- 

 paws in swimming, if the trap is set in shallow 

 water, say four inches or less, the trap will very 

 often be sprung by the breast of the animal, 

 where, of course, it cannot get a proper hold, and 

 a few hairs only are what the trapper finds next 

 day. If by chance he should be secured by the 

 forepaw, he will frequently not move the trap 

 immediately, but will amputate his paw with 

 his sharp teeth. If he does not do this he will 

 make an effort to get rid of the trap by swimming 

 away, and it is just here that the important 

 point comes in. The trap has to be weighted. 

 A stone of five or six pounds weight is attached 

 by two or three strands of strong twine, or better 

 still by a piece of wire, to the iron cross-bar form- 

 ing the under portion of the trap. Going out, the 

 beaver has no trouble in dragging this into deep 

 water till the full length of the chain and string 

 is reached. He will then attempt to return to 

 land, but as it is uphill work, he is retained by 

 the weight and drowns. If the trap is not 

 weighted, the odds are fifty to one he will get rid 



