ting and paring pieces of wood. Just why this 

 kind of bedding is used cannot be said, but prob- 

 ably because this material dries more quickly, is 

 more comfortable and more sanitary, and harbors 

 fewer parasites. However, a few beds are made 

 of grass, leaves, or moss. 



But little earthy matter is used in the tip-top 

 of the house, where the minute disjointed air-holes 

 between the interlaced poles give the room scanty 

 ventilation. 



Except in a few cases where house-walls are 

 overgrown with willows or grass, the erosive ac- 

 tion of wind and water rapidly thins and weak- 

 ens them. Hence the house must receive frequent 

 repairs. Each autumn it is plastered or piled all 

 over with sticks or mud. The mud covering 

 varies in thickness from two to six inches. The 

 mud for this purpose is usually dredged from the 

 bottom of the pond close to the foundation of the 

 house. It is carried up, a double handful at a 

 time, the beaver waddling on his hind legs as he 

 holds it with his fore paws against his breast. A 

 half-dozen or more beaver may be carrying mud 

 up at once. The covering not only thickens the 



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