OR, THE LAKE LANDS OF CANADA, 115 



him with his compliments, this being the best he could do 

 under the circumstances. 



It was during this same trip down the river that the 

 captain greatly interested me by the description which he 

 gave of the beaver " trysting-places." The captain is cer- 

 tainly a matter-of-fact man, possessed of no romantic ideas, 

 and yet the statements which he made on this occasion 

 may seem to savor strongly of fiction, although I am fully 

 convinced that he believes in the beaver " trysting-place," 

 and in all the details that he has given pertaining to the 

 same, including even the acting of the animals. The nar- 

 rator commenced by saying that many years ago, while 

 travelling .through these woods, he discovered a mound 

 that had been recently raised by the heaping up of the 

 soft earth, the measurements of the same being about two 

 feet in diameter and about six inches in height, while it was 

 almost circular in outline. This mound bore the positive 

 impress of the animal by which it had been reared, and 

 this serves as the beaver's " trysting-place." 



In order that we might understand the nature and 

 necessity of the trysting-places, the captain made the fol- 

 lowing statement : " It is chiefly in winter that the beavers 

 congregate, and then only a single family occupies the 

 same lodge or house, although there may be several fami- 

 lies living within the waters raised by the dam that has 

 been erected by their united efforts. The family may 

 consist of a single adult, male and female, or they may 

 have with them two, four, six, or eight of their own off- 

 spring, which have not yet fully matured. When, however, 

 these young beavers are fully grown, they go forth from 



