BEAVERS. 17 



became scarce ; their places being taken by willows, 

 which massed themselves together in such a way as 

 to form an impenetrable labyrinth. Evidences of the 

 vicinity of beavers were scattered around on every 

 hand : trees that had lost portions of their bark, and 

 limbs which had been gnawed, were here as plentiful 

 as if a whole host of these animals had just com- 

 pleted a meal after a long fast. Practising every 

 caution of which I was cognisant, I made an essay 

 to reach the water's margin, and succeeded after 

 much difficulty. My labour, however, was well re- 

 warded ; for at the first glance I found over a dozen 

 beavers within view, while some were not more than 

 .thirty feet from my position. Beavers (Castor fiber) 

 are so excessively wary, that it is very seldom such 

 a sight as that which I enjoyed has been gazed upon 

 by white men, and then only in such remote and 

 undisturbed districts as that in which I wandered. 



But I will try to describe the scene. The side 

 of the stream near to my position was margined with 

 a sand-bank several yards in width, while further 

 off stretched the gliding water, dotted with nu- 

 merous dome-like houses. The distant view was 

 shut out by a dense growth of evergreens, which 

 formed an impenetrable obstacle to vision. On the 

 foreground were a brace of beavers, whose serious, 

 sedate manner indicated that they were engaged in 

 conversation upon some subject of vital importance. 

 In the water and on the houses something like half- 

 a-dozen of the same race were busily occupied re- 



