THE BEAVER. 137 



the mud and stones in their fore-paws, pressed against their 

 chins, but they drag the wood with their teeth. 



The creature does not employ its broad tail, as was once 

 supposed, to plaster down its mud-work, nor does it use it as 

 a vehicle for transporting materials ; its sole object being to 

 guide it when in the water, and as a counterpoise, by moving 

 it in an upward direction, to the tendency it would otherwise 

 have of sinking head-foremost. The creatures cover the out- 

 side of their houses every autumn with fresh mud as soon as 

 the frost becomes severe. By this means it freezes as hard 

 as stone, and prevents their common enemy, the wolverene, 

 disturbino^ them durins^ the winter. From the beaver beinff 

 seen to flap its tail when moving over its work, but especially 

 when about to plunge into the water, has arisen the idea that 

 it uses this member as a trowel. This custom it preserves 

 even when it becomes tame and domesticated, particularly 

 when suddenly startled. 



The beaver, says Captain Hardy, travels a long distance 

 from his house in search of materials, both for building and 

 food. He mentions having seen the stumps of some trees 

 which had been felled, at least three-quarters of a mile from 

 the beaver lodges. Its towing power in the water, and that 

 of traction on dry land, is astonishing. The following account 

 shows the coolness and enterprise of the animals, described 

 by a witness to the fact : — The narrator having constructed a 

 raft for the purpose of poling round the edge of the lake to get 

 at the houses of the beaver, which were built in a swampy 

 savannah, otherwise inaccessible, it had been left in the 

 evening moored at the edge of the lake, close to the camp, 

 and about a quarter of a mile from the nearest beaver's house, 

 the poles lying on it. Next morning, on going down to the 



