212 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 



foliated hard enamel, the inside of the folds being 

 filled with soft dentine, which wears away and 

 leaves the ridges sharp and capable of grinding 

 wood or bark to a fine pulp. All the teeth grow 

 continually to make up for the natural wear. In 

 case a tooth is injured or broken the opposite one 

 grows to abnormal length, frequently to the great 

 discomfiture of the animal. The folds of hard 

 enamel continue with little change of form down 

 to the base of the teeth, but the semi-hard dentine 

 is only formed near the grinding surface. The 

 young beaver is born with well-developed teeth, 

 which differ only in point of size from those of 

 the adult. 



The brain of the beaver is noticeably smooth 

 and lacking in the corrugations which are supposed 

 to indicate intelligence. It seems peculiar that an 

 animal which has so much (from our standard of 

 comparison) to signify inferiority should, by its 

 works, prove itself to be so highly intelligent. 

 Romanes says : " There is no animal — not even 

 excepting the ants and bees — whose instinct has 

 risen to a higher level of far-reaching adaptation 

 to certain constant conditions of environment, or 

 whose faculties, undoubtedly instinctive, are more 

 puzzlingly wrought up with faculties no less 

 undoubtedly intelligent." 



The beaver's coat is composed, like that of 

 nearly all fur-bearing animals, of fur and hair. In 

 the beaver it is thick, woolly, brown fur about 



