Tfie Beaver. 123 



so mncli so that even men cannot destroy them -withont a great 

 deal of labour. The mud and moss at the bottom arc rooted up 

 with the animal's snout, somewhat in the manner hogs work in 

 the earth, and clay and grasses are stuffed and plasteredin between 

 the sticks, roots, and branches, in so workmanlike a way as to 

 render the structure quite water-tight. The dams are sometimes 

 seven or eight feet high, and are from ten to twelve feet wide at 

 the bottom, but are built up with the sides inclining towards each 

 other, so as to form a narrow surface on the toj). They are occa- 

 sionally as much as three hundred yards in length, and often ex- 

 tend beyond the bed of the stream in a circular form, so as to 

 overflow all the timber near the margin, which the Beavers cut 

 down for food during winter, heap together in large quantities, and 

 so fasten to the shore under the surface of the water, that even a 

 strong current cannot tear it away ; although they generally place 

 it in such a position that the current does not pass over it. These 

 piles or heaps of wood are placed in front of the lodges, and when 

 the animal wishes to feed he proceeds to them, takes a piece of 

 wood, and drags it to one of the small holes near the principal 

 entrance running above the water, although beneath the surface 

 of the ground. Here the bark is devoured at leisure, and the 

 wood is afterwards thrust out, or used in repairing the dam. 

 These small galleries are more or less abundant according to the 

 number of animals in the lodges. The larger lodges are, in the 

 interior, about seven feet in diameter, and between two and three 

 feet high, resembling a great oven. They are placed near the edge 

 of the water, although actually built on or in the ground. In fron*' 

 the Beavers scratch away the mud to secure a depth of water tha 

 will enable them to sink their wood deep enough to prevent its 

 being impacted in the ice when the dam is frozen over, and also 

 to allow them always free egress from their lodges, so that they 

 may go to the dam and repair it if necessary. The top of the lodge 

 is formed by placing branches of trees matted with mud, grassesj 

 moss, &c., together, until the whole fabric measures on the outside 

 from twelve to twenty feet in diameter, and is six or eight feethigh, 

 the size depending on the number of inhabitants. The outward 

 coating is entirely of mud or earth, and smoothed ofi" as if plaster- 

 ed with a trowel. As Beavers, however, never work in the day- 

 time, no person we believe has yet seen how they perform their 

 task, or give this hard-finish to their houses. This species does 

 not use its fore-feet in swimming, but for carrying burthens : this 



