BEAVERS 147 



an Indian starts to make a tepee. The poles are 

 placed in a circle with their upper ends coming to a 

 point. Then boughs are interlaced and heavier wood 

 is put on until the outside of the house is so firmly 

 built that a man could stand upon it. As soon as 

 the pond begins to freeze over they plaster all the 

 house on the outside with mud, which they bring 

 up from the bottom of the pond in their ''hands," and 

 hugged against their breasts. When the mud freezes 

 they have a house so strong that no hungry bear 

 or wolf or coyote could tear it apart and hurt the 

 beavers curled up inside. 



After the outside has become firm and strong they 

 gnaw out a large room inside, above the water line. 

 One half is used for a bedroom and has the floor 

 higher than the other part, so it will be well drained. 

 They make their bed by tearing pieces of wood 

 into thin strips like shavings. The other room, 

 where Jhey dry their fur and eat their food, has two 

 holes in the floor which serve as their front and back 

 doors; for the beavers always enter their houses by 

 swimming under water and coming up through these 

 holes in the floor. 



The little beavers can help with the winter food 

 supply while the father and mother build the house. 

 They swim back and forth with the juicy-barked 

 pieces of aspen or willow in their mouths, making 

 long V-shaped ripples in the water behind them. If 

 there is the slightest noise, down they go ! If father 

 beaver should slap the water with his tail all the 

 beavers disappear so quickly and silently that it 

 seems almost like magic. 



