174 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 



order that the supply of growing trees be not too 

 rapidly depleted, some scraps of brush or poles 

 could be given occasionally. Sir Edmund Loder 

 has a very ingenious scheme for feeding the small 

 colony of beaver that he keeps in his fascinating 

 place in Sussex. A small hole filled with several 

 large stones serves as a holder for trees or poles or 

 even stout branches, so that the beaver, in order to 

 obtain the bark, must cut it down just as they 

 would if it were a growing tree. Unfortunately 

 most of this colony was carried away by a great 

 flood, the animals being eventually killed in the 

 sea by fishermen who were much puzzled by seeing 

 such unusual creatures swimming about in the 

 harbour. All large trees in a beaver enclosure 

 must be very carefully protected, for no matter how 

 large they may be, the beaver will girdle them and 

 eat the bark. Most of the work done by the 

 animals in their wild state will be almost equally 

 well done in captivity, so that a small beaver colony 

 is always an object of intense interest and may be 

 maintained at comparatively small cost in money 

 and labour. 



It is to be hoped that as people realise more 

 fully the interest and value of these animals they 

 will take steps for their protection in all countries 

 suited to their needs. It would indeed be a shame 

 to see such creatures exterminated. There would 

 be nothing to take their place, and I find wherever 

 I go, and whatever class and age of people I am 



