CHAPTER I 



THE BEAVERS OF NORTH AMERICA. THEIR HABITS 

 OF LIFE AND THEIR WONDERFUL ENGINEERING 

 FEATS 



In a quiet pond, far away in the wilds of Canada, 

 a small, dark object appeared silently and without 

 disturbing the serenity of the placid waters. A 

 few minutes later, the small object moved slowly 

 along, and lengthening quivering lines made the 

 inverted images of the opposite trees tremble in the 

 reflected sunset so that the dark greens of the firs 

 and rich reds and yellows of the birches and maples 

 danced together in the ripples. The dark object 

 was a beaver and he was filled with the fear of man, 

 inherited through a long line of ancestors who had 

 striven to outwit those that sought their destruc- 

 tion. This survivor of a much persecuted race had 

 sought the far away country with the hope of being 

 able to live with his family unmolested by the 

 constant dread of the steel trap. Unlimited care 

 and constant watchfulness were the price he must 

 be always ready to pay for his safety. And even 

 so the chances were entirely against him. 



Not until the sun had set, and the sky was 

 lighted by the glorious afterglow, had he ventured 



