THE BEAVERS OF NORTH AMERICA 19 



One of the earliest sane descriptions which 1 have 

 been able to find of a beaver's house appears in the 

 Relations of the Jesuits in Canada. Father 

 Joseph Jouvency, S.J., writes (between the years 

 1610 and 1613) : " They locate them (the houses) 

 on the banks of lakes and rivers ; they build walls 

 of logs, placing between them wet and sticky sods 

 in the place of mortar, so that the work can, even 

 with great violence, scarcely be torn apart and 

 destroyed. The entire house is divided into several 

 stories.* (Levels would probably be a better word) ; 

 the lowest is composed of thicker crossbeams, with 

 branches strewn upon them, and provided with a 

 hole or small door through which they can pass 

 into the river whenever they wish ; this story 

 extends somewhat above the water of the river, 

 while the others rise higher, into which they retire 

 if the swelling stream submerges the lowest floor. 

 They sleep in one of the upper stories ; a soft bed 

 is furnished by dry sea-weed,f and the moss with 

 which they protect themselves from the cold ; on 

 another floor they have their store-room and food 

 provided for winter. The building is covered with 

 a dome-shaped roof. Thus they pass the winter, 

 for in summer they enjoy the shady coolness upon 

 the shores or escape the summer heat by plunging 



* This translation may be questioned ; following is the original 

 version : " Tota casae fabrica variis contignationibus distinguitur." 



f Alga siccior is the name given, so the translation is open to 

 question. 



c2 



