THE LIFE OF A BEAVER COLONY 115 



pelled her to utter the mother's call. It was all 

 over, the lesson was learned, both by herself and 

 her family, and she swam back, diving without 

 noise, and disappeared in the lodge where three 

 frightened and hungry kittens awaited her. 



Fortunately no other misfortune marred the 

 happiness of the little colony during the summer. 

 The weeks were spent in play and enjoyment and 

 in investigating the surrounding country. Shortly 

 before the approach of autumn the plans which had 

 probably been formed many weeks earlier took 

 form. The aspen grove must be reached and it 

 was decided that the old canal should be extended 

 from the part which had been started the previous 

 year to where the trees grew. Excavating a suit- 

 able trench was not easy work, but the two old 

 beavers, with the assistance of their three well- 

 grown children, undertook the task. The canal 

 started at the lake. It was about two and a half 

 feet wide and fifteen inches deep. Some of the 

 mud was taken out and carried into the pond, but 

 most was piled up on the sides. It ran in a direct 

 line toward the aspens, but after it had extended 

 about seventy yards, the rising land made it 

 necessary to dig down to a depth of two feet or 

 more in order to have sufficient water. Evidently 

 they could not continue in this way, as it would 

 mean making a trench over four feet deep before 

 the desired end could be reached, so the intelHgent 

 animals constructed a small dam and continued the 



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