166 



boughs, closing all the opening within and without 

 with a strong plaister made of clay. If the water in- 

 crease upon them, they raise their wall higher. Know- 

 ing their materials are more easily brought by water 

 than by land, they watch its increase, to swim with 

 mortar on their tails, and stakes between their teeth, 

 to the place where (hey build. When the causeway 

 is finished, they begin their apartments, which are oval, 

 and divided into three partitions, one above another ; 

 but the walls of these are perpendicular, and only two 

 feet thick. All the wood that projects, they cut off 

 with their teeth, and rough-cast both the out and in. 

 side of their work, with a mixture of clay and dry 

 grass. The first partition being below the level of the 

 dyke, is full of water, for they love to have their 

 hinder part hanging in the water. The other two are 

 above it, so that if the water ascend, they may ascend 

 proportionably. 



At the bottom of their building, they strike out two 

 openings to the stream ; one leads to the place where 

 they bathe, the other to that where they ease nature. 



They associate ten or twelve together, and proper- 

 tion their house to their number. When all is finished 

 below, they vault the top or roof in an oval form. 



In summer they feed on fruits and plants, in winter 

 on willow, ash, or other wood. This they collect and 

 store up in time. They cut boughs from three to six 

 feet long: the large pieces are brought to the magazine 

 by several beavers, the smaller by one alone; but they 

 take different ways, each having his path assigned, to 

 prevent the labour being interrupted. They build up 

 their pile with much art, which is proportioned to 

 their number. A square pile of thirty feet, about tea 

 feet deep, serves for ten beavers ; but the wood is not 

 piled up in one continued heap, the pieces are laid 

 across one another, with cavities between for the con* 

 veniency of drawing out what they want. They aU 

 ways use first the parcel at bottom which lies in the 

 water, and when it is taken up for use, they cut this 

 wood into small pieces, and convey it to their apart- 



