306 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 634 



beavers proceeded to cut down poplar trees, 

 and two months later from these cuttings had 

 constructed a house on one side of the lake 

 midway between the overflowed land and the 

 dam. 



Views were shown of the dam, including 

 one showing the methods of the Indians in 

 trapping beavers (unlawfully), of the house 

 as it appears from the lake and also from the 

 shore, and of the house together with a pile 

 of cuttings for the winter's supply. Several 

 views were also shown of the work of the 

 beaver in the overflowed land. A view was 

 also presented of a beaver dam on another 

 lake about 100 miles distant from Madam 

 Henry which practically divided the lake into 

 two parts, the water level of one half being 

 raised considerably above that of the other 

 half. Incidentally a view was shown of 

 beavers at work, a picture taken in the day- 

 time by Mr. W. E. Balch, which was awarded 

 first prize by Recreation. The award was 

 afterward withdrawn, because it was charged 

 that the beavers had been killed and fastened 

 into position before the photograph was taken. 



In the discussion following Mr. Titcomb 

 referred to the unreasoning methods of the 

 beaver, citing their apparent inability to con- 

 trol the direction in which the tree should 

 fall, this apparently depending on chance. 

 Trees felled are often found unused and with 

 the limbs uncut, owing to their unfavorable 

 position. The beaver frequently cuts in two 

 a stick it is dragging, in order to get it over 

 a log, instead of going around. Dr. Hopkins 

 related an instance occurring in Maine in 

 which beavers had attacked a man-made dam 

 which had backed water into their own works. 

 They had confined their assaults to the braces, 

 which were considerably gnawed, leaving un- 

 touched the posts and sills. A guard became 

 necessary until the beavers gave up their at- 

 tempt. 



Dr. Evermann called attention to a study 

 of a large number of beaver dams from an 

 engineering standpoint by Mr. Edward R. 

 Warren, of Colorado Springs. The general 

 conclusion reached was that beavers show little 

 engineering sense in their construction work. 



Mr. Vernon Bailey offered the third paper. 



on ' The Mountain Haymakers or Pikas ' 

 (Ochotona), little animals related to both the 

 rabbit and the guinea-pig, sometimes called 

 cony, pika, little chief hare, maginty rabbit, 

 or maginty. The paper was illustrated with 

 lantern slides. 



The ochotonas live among the rocks, high 

 up in the mountains, mainly near timber-line, 

 from New Mesico and California to Alaska, 

 and while often abundant are comparatively 

 little known. They are approximately of the 

 size and form of the guinea-pig, with rounded 

 ears, short legs, and no visible tail. Their 

 call or alarm note is a nasal squeak somewhat 

 resembling the bleat of a very young lamb. 



During late summer and the short autumn 

 these little animals are busy gathering their 

 winter store of hay, including plants of many 

 species that they cut and stack in dry places 

 under the shelter of broken rocks that lie in 

 masses on the steep mountain slopes. Often a 

 bushel or more of well-cured vegetation is 

 gathered into one of these sheltered deposits 

 and a dozen or more stacks are sometimes 

 found within the area of a not very extensive 

 rock slide. Almost every plant within reach 

 is gathered, with apparently little specific dis- 

 crimination. In one place on the side of 

 Pecos Baldy in New Mexico 34 species of 

 plants were recognized in the hay, including 

 9 species of grass, a sedge, two species of 

 clover, part of a large thistle, flowers and 

 stems of the blue columbine, a purple Pent- 

 stemon, a little sour-dock, a saxifrage, a Poly- 

 gonum, a larkspur, two species of Poieniilla, 

 a Geum, Senicio, Erigeron, Wyethia, Aster, 

 Achillea, Caltha, Veratrum, Geranium, two 

 umbellifers, a Silene and an Aralia. Many 

 additional species of plants have been noted 

 in other localities and the hay often contains 

 numerous dried flowers and some berries. 



Nothing is known of the habits of these 

 animals in winter when they and their hay- 

 stacks are buried deep under the snow except 

 that in spring the haystacks are found reduced 

 to a few dry sticks and stems and the ocho- 

 tonas seem to have survived the arctic winter 

 in good condition. 



While too small to be counted as game, these 

 little animals serve a worthy purpose in add- 



