THE PERSISTENT BEAVER 53 



tumbled into the water. The others showed 

 no surprise at this accident. 



The one in the water did not mind but swam 

 outward where he was caught in the current 

 that started to carry him over the dam. At this 

 stage his mother appeared. She simply rose 

 beneath him. He accepted the opportunity 

 and squatted upon her back with that expression- 

 less face which beavers carry most of the time. 

 There are occasions, however, on which beavers 

 show expression of fear, surprise, eagerness, 

 and even intense pleasure. The youngster sat 

 on his mother's back as though asleep while she 

 swam with him to the house. Here he climbed 

 off in a matter-of-fact way, as though a ride on 

 a ferry-boat was nothing new to him. 



A few weeks later the mother robin who had 

 become so wrought up over my hiding had 

 times of dreadful excitement concerning the 

 safety of her children. If anything out of the 

 usual occurs, the robin insists that the worst pos- 

 sible is about to happen. This season the mother 

 robin had nesfed upon the top of the beaver 

 house. This was one of the safest of places, 

 but so many things occurred to frighten her 

 that it is a wonder she did not die of heart 

 disease. The young robins were becoming rest- 

 less at the time the young beavers were active. 

 Every morning, when on the outside of the 



