THE BEAVERS OF NORTH AMERICA 55 



one beaver stays some distance away and watches 

 the top. At the first intimation of its faUing, he 

 signals by either slapping the ground or the water 

 with his tail and the others immediately run away. 

 Unfortunately, I have never been an eye-witness 

 of such a performance, and even though I have 

 heard many trees being felled — some within forty 

 yards of my camp — I have never heard the signal, 

 nor have I seen the beaver on watch. Besides 

 which, it scarcely seems reasonable that the animal 

 while cutting should need any notice of the tree 

 falling. With his teeth against the wood, the 

 creaking sound of even the beginning of the fall 

 would be very evident, even if he did not hear the 

 top brushing against the other trees on its down- 

 ward path. Animals do not do unnecessary things, 

 and this warning certainly seems unnecessary even 

 though it may be true. That the beavers remain 

 fairly quiet for a few minutes after a tree has 

 crashed to earth is quite possible, though it is not 

 by any means always done, while the explanation 

 usually offered does not sound altogether right. 

 Why should the sound of a falling tree attract 

 enemies ? Such sounds are only too common in 

 the forests, and the noise made by the biting of 

 the wood is so loud that even a man with his 

 dulled sense of hearing can distinguish it many 

 hundred yards away on a still night. // the 

 beaver does stay motionless after the crash there 

 is probably some other reason — possibly it is for 



