1912] Sicarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 91 



a small colony at a point near Errington, but we found them in 

 far greater numbers at Beaver Creek, near Alberni, and here 

 secured a series of specimens. There was old beaver work along 

 the streams throughout this valley, and from the size of some of 

 the old dams they must have existed here in immense numbers 

 at one time, but at present, though there are a good many left 

 still, they are more scattered, apparently not more than one or 

 two families at any one point, and such groups separated by 

 intervals, sometimes of several miles. 



Nearly all the smaller streams were obstructed by their dams, 

 and most of the adjoining low lying land flooded as a conse- 

 quence. Most of our specimens were taken from two houses, 

 which I, together with Despard, examined and photographed on 

 June 22. They were surrounded by shrubbery to such an extent 

 as to be difficult of access, the water in which they were standing 

 being grown up with weeds and grasses, and the dryer ground 

 adjoining with willows and alders and a few scattered fir trees, 

 and with tall ferns everywhere underfoot. The first house (see 

 pi. 3), about fifty yards up-stream from the dam. was built over 

 a huge, moss-covered log lying in the water. Its greatest height 

 was about five and a half feet, that is, from the surface of the 

 water; from the top of the log it was built up about three feet. 

 The greatest outside diameter was about ten feet. The material 

 used, such as could be seen, was sticks cut into lengths of from 

 three to ten feet, the largest about three inches in diameter. No 

 mud was visible anywhere on the outside. 



The second house examined was on an abandoned farm, the 

 ground now covered with second growth timber to such an extent 

 that neither farm house nor barn was visible at a greater distance 

 than a few yards. The beaver house was in what had been a 

 grain field several acres in extent, now flooded by the beavers to 

 a depth of several feet, and thickly grown up with small willows. 

 This house was somewhat larger than the first, about six or seven 

 feet high, but built in deeper water; the same sort of materials 

 went into its construction, but it was rather more symmetrically 

 shaped. 



Both houses were occupied at the time by several beavers, at 

 least, and we could plainly hear them grunting and snuffling 



