144 ANIMALS AND INSECTS 



and just as deep as they want it. Are they not 

 clever Uttle fellows? 



Now this father and mother beaver, after they 

 have selected with great care just the place that will 

 make them and their children a good home, and 

 have seen that there are plenty of the juicy-barked 

 trees near by, set to work to dam the brook, build 

 their house, and get in the winter's supply of food. 



They begin by felling trees. Now a man with a 

 sharp, steel axe to swing thinks he is working hard 

 when he cuts down trees, but these beavers do not 

 seem to get so tired. They work all night just as 

 hard as they can, felling trees and cutting them up. 



What do you suppose they use to cut the trees 

 down? They use their teeth, their long, sharp front 

 teeth! They sit down as a dog does, on their hind 

 legs; they rest against their broad, flat tails, and, put- 

 ting their forepaws against the tree, begin to gnaw 

 it down, first turning the head to one side and then 

 to the other. But instead of gnawing as a mouse 

 gnaws, or as a horse eats his crib, these beavers 

 take bites out of the tree with their sharp teeth, 

 and leave the ground covered with chips, as a man 

 does when he cuts down a tree with an axe. The 

 beavers are only as large as a medium-sized dog. 

 Think of a dog biting down a tree as thick through 

 as his own body! 



Sometimes the father and mother beaver work to- 

 gether, sitting on opposite sides of the tree, though 

 more often each works on a different tree. When 

 any one of the beavers feels that a tree is about to 

 fall, he gives the ground a hard slap with his tail, 



