THE FORKS OF THE M A cMILLAN RIVER 93 



Indians prefer the easier work of shooting them when the 

 water is open. They are very fond of their flesh and 

 destroy them indifferently in summer and fall. Two 

 years later beaver trapping had begun, and when Selous 

 went up there he found the beavers diminished. In 

 1908 I saw MacMillan River trappers in Dawson who 

 told me that all had been trapped, which means that not 

 enough were left to make it pay to trap them. 



Everywhere in the upper reaches of the river we con- 

 stantly saw beavers, both swimming in the water and on 

 the banks. As a warning that certain actions of animals 

 must not be interpreted too quickly, Selous has men- 

 tioned the resounding slap of the tail which the beaver 

 makes when it dives. This has often been called a warn- 

 ing signal. He mentions two cases of beavers sitting on 

 the bank, which were not alarmed by the slap of the tails 

 of others, even when sounded close by. On the North 

 Fork I myself twice saw beavers dive when I was con- 

 cealed in the alders near the bank, so that they were 

 wholly unsuspicious. In both cases their tails slapped 

 the water. Some other interpretation of the habit must 

 be attempted perhaps it is caused by a muscular con- 

 traction to assist in sudden diving. 



Besides the beavers no animals except red squirrels 

 always abundant in the woods had been seen since 

 leaving Dawson. The variety of birds observed on the 

 the whole trip was small. Only the delightful weather, 

 the wild aspect of the country, the rugged mountain 

 scenery, and the approach to the hunting country, offset 

 the tediousness of being cooped up on a small steamer 



