FAMINE IN BEAVER-LAND 211 



pond to the heart of the rooty area. Even 

 after most of the pond was frozen to the bottom 

 they had an open line of communication with 

 the root supplies. 



Mutual aid is a factor in beaver life. I do 

 not know how many days' work this ditch re- 

 quired; but when one of the beavers in a colony 

 work, all work. Since late summer these bea- 

 vers had worked at one task after another; 

 they had unitedly worked for the welfare of 

 each member of the colony. With mutual aid 

 beaver colonists achieve much in a short time. 

 Their strong love for home, causing them to re- 

 main long in one place, and the peculiar work 

 which this calls for, makes changes on earth 

 sometimes enduring for centuries. 



But they had only commenced to dig out the 

 roots on the bottom of the pond when the ever- 

 thickening ice froze over this life-saving food 

 supply. The water would have been deeper 

 over this area but the beavers' early hard luck 

 had prevented their building the dam as high 

 as it should have been. 



I do not know how they handled the food- 

 shortage, whether or not they went on short 

 rations. But no beaver had more than his por- 

 tion, for beavers are cooperators, they work in 

 common, and so long as the food supply lasts 

 each has his share. 



