BEAVER HABITS, BEAVER CONTROL, AND BEAVER FARMING. 19 



their eyes are open. Apparently they do not leave the house or bank 

 den where born until a month or 6 weeks old, or some time in July. 

 At that time they weigh 3 or 4 pounds and are easily caught in the 

 water with a boat. They can be driven out of the house by shaking 

 it or thrusting a slender stick into the nest cavity and rattlino- it 

 around. In some places they can be. scooped up in wire mesh dip 

 nets as they come from the house through their under-water canals, 

 but they are more likely to be first seen swimming with heads just 

 above water not far from the house, In such cases, two people in 

 a canoe, one in the stem to paddle and one in the bow to watch, can 

 easily catch them. As they dive, the direction should be noted, the 

 boat should be driven beyond the spot, and the water should be 

 watched on all sides for the next appearance. Young beavers will 

 not remain under water very long, rarely over two or three minutes, 

 and after several swims under water they become tired and 'are 

 readily approached and picked up by the tail as they come to the 

 surface and pause for breath. They do not attempt to bite, and if 

 carefully handled are gentle and quiet from the first. 



It is usually possible to locate young beavers in a house by listen- 

 ing to their babylike cries, as they habitually cry a great deal, espe- 

 cially w^hen hungry or disturbed. When old enough to come out 

 regularly for food they can be seen before dark swimming about 

 near their house or a little way out in the water. It is best not to 

 disturb the houses unless young are known to be in them, but if 

 great care is taken not to injure a house and to close securely any 

 openings made, the young will not usually abandon it. If bank dens 

 could be located, the young could probably be caught in them, but 

 as there is no over-ground house to mark the spot and the under- 

 water doorways are well hidden it is difficult to take them there. 



Corral traps. — Both old .and young beavers may be caught in cor- 

 ral traps at the edge of the water. A circular corral may be made 

 of 2-inch woven-wire mesh, not lighter than No. 16 wire, at least 8 

 feet in diameter and 4 feet high, with a 3-foot door on the pond side. 

 About seven posts or strong stakes will support the wire, which 

 should be buried a few inches below the surface of the ground and 

 at the top be bent in a 5-inch overhang on the inside. The door 

 posts should be double if a drop door instead of a swinging door is 

 used. Several kinds of swing doors can be devised, but the drop 

 door is perhaps the simplest. It should be raised 2^ feet and hung 

 from the top by a light, easily sprung trigger, with a string attached 

 to a piece of green aspen for bait in the back of the corral or with 

 a long thread to be pulled from a distance when the beavers are 

 inside. (Fig. 6.) 



