pond. Apparently he does much sleeping an 

 possibly has a dull time of it. No news, no vis- 

 itors, and apparently nothing to do ! Still a 

 beaver has food, and when dangers surround the 

 wild folk outside the pond's roof of glass, he 

 would be considered a good risk for life insurance. 



Although the pond is commonly covered with 

 snow, or the ice curtained with air bubbles, there 

 have been numerous times during which I have 

 had clear views into the water, and could see and 

 enjoy all that was going on within, as completely 

 as though looking at fish or turtles through the 

 glass walls of an aquarium. Often I have peered 

 through the ice which covered the most used 

 place of a winter beaver pond, --the area be- 

 tween the house-entrance and the food-pile. The 

 thinness of the ice over this place was main- 

 tained by spring-water which came up through 

 the bottom, and the beaver had so arranged their 

 affairs that they made the best use of this shal- 

 low-freezing water. Of course most ponds are 

 without springs. 



Many a time I have seen a beaver come out of 

 the doorway of his house and go swimming to- 



204 



