CELEBRATING GROUND-HOG DAY 47 



wearing thicker or thinner coats than usual; but 

 no one appeared to know any certain way. 



I dropped these signs and investigated beaver 

 colonies. One beaver colony began work extra 

 early, but as they were building a new house 

 they naturally began work earlier than other 

 colonies. One colony cut and piled in the pond 

 two hundred and ninety-three aspens for winter 

 food; another colony, just one minute's walk up 

 stream, harvested only sixty-eight. The dams 

 that were repaired appeared to need repairs; 

 those not touched did not need attention. In 

 trying to see how to predict weather from beaver 

 work I got a headache. Each beaver colony ap- 

 peared to have its own way of doing things or else 

 each was doing what it needed to do. The big 

 harvest may have been for a colony with many 

 beavers and the small harvest for a few beavers. 

 I do not believe the beavers did any guessing 

 about the winter. They were prepared for any 

 weather. The beaver is an animal with un- 

 usually interesting ways. Many of his customs 

 are not well known. It is said that if he lays up 

 more supplies than usual, or grows thicker fur 

 than usual, the winter will be colder than 

 usual. But any boy who has had the fun of 

 watching a beaver colony in autumn will realize 

 that the beaver prepares at the beginning of 

 autumn for a real winter every year. 



