CASTOROLOGIA. 1 59 



Black, the Gamekeeper of the Kstate, we reprint the following notes 

 from his report, which bears date 1SS7 : — 



"In 1874, the Marquis of Bute having obtained four beavers, 

 caused a space of from three to four acres in extent to be enclosed in 

 the wood between Meikle Kilchattan and Drumreach, and placed 

 them there. These not succeeding, his lordship, on the 6th Janu- 

 ary, 1875, obtained seven others. Of these, four succeeded so 

 well that in 18 78 I was certain of sixteen being alive, which makes 

 an average increase of four each season. There is a further increase 

 this season, but to what extent I cannot say. 



"Arriving as they did in midwinter, these little animals, I can 

 assure you, had a prettj^ hard time of it. However, after a few days' 

 rest, having viewed the situation, they set vigorously to work to 

 make themselves comfortable, and began to construct a dam^'- by 

 forming a dyke or embankment across a small moorland stream 

 running through the enclosure ; at the same time they commenced 

 to build a house to live in. 



" The materials of which the dyke is constructed are wood, grass, 

 mud, and a few stones which are used for the purpose of keeping the 

 grass and smaller pieces of wood in their place until more is built on 

 the top of them. They have continued raising this embankment to 

 a certain extent every j^ear, until it has now attained the following 

 dimensions, viz. :— length, seventj^ feet ; height in the deepest part, 

 fully eight feet ; breadth of base at deepest part, from fifteen to 

 twenty feet, sloped inside, not straight across, but finely arched 

 against the stream, so that it may the more easily resist the great 

 pressure of water which it has to bear — perfectly level, so that when 

 a spate of water comes down it maj' run evenly over the top from 

 side to side. So substantially have they built it that no material 

 damage has occured to it from all the floods that have passed over 

 it. They use a number of the larger pieces of wood as props, by 

 fixing the thick end into the ground and the small end on the top, 



* The word "dam " is used throughout this account to signify the pool formed by the 

 dj^ke or embankinent. 



