OF THE FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 35 



more easily. The pathway led to a large house on 

 the edge of a lake, and, fortunately for us, the beaver 

 was at home. There were other houses on an island 

 in the lake, and below them all a large, strong dam, 

 some thirty yards long, built the shape of a half- 

 moon, and below this two more complete dams across 

 the river that flowed out. The dams were made of 

 large tree-trunks, with quantities of lesser boughs, 

 and were many feet thick, and very difficult to break 

 down. The houses were built half on land, half in 

 the water. The sitting-room is upstairs on the bank, 

 and so is the " crew's " bedroom, and the front door 

 made at least three feet below the surface to prevent 

 being " frozen out " in winter, or, worse still, " frozen 

 in." 



The whole house was neatly rounded off, and so 

 plastered with mud as to be warm and weather- 

 proof. This is done by means of their trowel-like 

 tails, which are also of great use in swimming. 

 The house was so strong that even with an axe we 

 could not get in without very considerable delay. 

 In the deep pond they had dammed up, we found a 

 quantity of birch poles pegged out. The bark of 

 these forms their winter food, and is called " browse." 

 The beaver cuts off enough for dinner, and takes 

 it into his house. Sitting up, he takes the stem 

 in his fore paws, and rolls it round and round 

 against his chisel-shaped incisor teeth, swallowing 

 the long ribands of bark thus stripped off. While 

 entering the house the stick often sets off a trap 



