THE BEAVERS OF NORTH AMERICA 51 



used. Nearly all of the deciduous or broad-leaved 

 trees supply food for the beaver, but the most 

 sought-after are perhaps the different birches, 

 maples, poplars, willows and ashes to a less extent, 

 alder, viburnum, dog- wood, wild cherry and others 

 according to the locality. The bark of the conifers 

 is not much used, some authorities say that it is 

 never eaten, yet the trees are frequently cut down 

 by the beaver. I have seen several instances, but 

 none of them had any of the branches cut off. 

 From Indians and trappers, 1 have been told that 

 immediately before the young are born or about 

 that time, the prospective mother eats a small 

 amount of spruce, pine or other conifer bark, which 

 they believe to have some medicinal property. 

 During the spring and summer, many kinds of 

 roots and berries are eaten, and at all seasons the 

 roots of water-lily and spatterdock are used. In 

 certain districts these form the main supply even 

 during the winter, when the beaver come out of 

 the lodges, and beneath the ice gather the roots as 

 they are needed and take them into their houses to 

 eat. From this habit has come the curious super- 

 stition that a beaver if shot in the evening sinks, 

 while if shot in the morning he floats, because he is 

 filled with the light, pithy substance of the lily root 

 which has been eaten during the night. Needless 

 to say, this is scarcely likely to be true, though, 

 as I have never shot a beaver, I cannot speak 

 from actual experience. Now it will be noted 



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