that the Beaver lives in colonies, consist- 

 ing of several families, and builds its 

 "lodges." Nearer civilization it lives in 

 burrows or tunnels. In the building of 

 their homes, as well as in the storing of 

 a supply of food, the female is the most 

 active and is the practical builder, while 

 the male assists. 



Brehm writes interestingly regarding 

 the Beaver. He says : "After mature de- 

 liberation the animals select a stream or 

 pool, the banks of which afford them am- 

 ple provender and seem specially adapted 

 for the construction of their 'lodges.' 

 Those which live singly dwell in simple 

 subterranean burrows, after the manner 

 of otters ; societies, which generally con- 

 sist of families, as a rule construct houses 

 and, if there should be a necessity for it, 

 dams, in order to hold back the water and 

 preserve it at a uniform height. Some of 

 these dams are from four hundred and 

 fifty to six hundred feet long, from six to 

 nine feet high, from twelve to eighteen 

 feet thick at the base and from three to six 

 feet at the top. They consist of logs vary- 

 inginsize from the thickness of an arm to 

 that of a thigh and from three to six feet 

 long. One end of the log or stake is 

 thrust in the ground, the other stands up- 

 right in the water ; the logs are fastened 

 together by means of thin twigs and made 

 tight with reeds, mud and earth, in such a 

 way that one side presents a nearly ver- 

 tical, firm wall to the stream, while the 

 other side is sloped. From the ponds 

 rising above the dams, canals are con- 

 structed to facilitate the carrying or float- 

 ing of the necessary construction ma- 

 terials and food. Beavers do not forsake 

 a settlement they have founded unless the 

 direst necessity compels them to do so. 

 Beavers' lodges, the origin of which dates 

 very far back, are often found in lonely 

 woods." 



The Beaver usually feeds upon the bark 

 of the younger branches of trees and 

 shrubs and upon their leaves. It will also 

 strip the older branches, in a very skillful 

 manner, and eat the inner tender portion 

 of the bark. During the fall and early 

 winter months they work constantly in 

 preparing and storing, in the neighbor- 

 hood of their lodges, the winter's supply 



of food. "Each cabin has its own ma^i^a- 

 zine, proportioned to the number of its in- 

 habitants, who have all a common right 

 to the store and never pillage their neigh- 

 bors." 



The American Indians look upon the 

 Beaver with great respect. They believe 

 that it is possessed of a degree of intelli- 

 gence second only to that of man. Some 

 Indians even assert that it possesses an 

 immortal soul. Its sagacity is certainly 

 very strong and it will easily adapt itseU" 

 to changed environments. Unlike the 

 other rodents, it seems to reason before 

 acting and will build its habitations in the 

 form that the surrounding conditions de- 

 mand for the construction of the most 

 durable home. 



The Beaver, especially when young, is 

 quite easily domesticated. Various 

 writers speak of finding tame Beavers in 

 Indian villages, where they seemed to be 

 perfectly at home and contented. They 

 were allowed full liberty. "They seemed 

 to feel quite comfortable in the society of 

 the Indian women and children ; they 

 grew restless in their absence and showed 

 much pleasure on their return." 



The young, which number from two to 

 three, are born blind, but are covered 

 with fur. They usually obtain their sight 

 in from eight to ten days, and are then led 

 to the water by the mother. 



Early in the nineteenth century Dr. 

 George Shaw wrote as follows regarding 

 the habits of the Beaver : "They collect 

 in September their provisions of bark and 

 wood ; after which they enjoy the fruits 

 of their labors, and taste the sweets of 

 domestic happiness. Knowing and lov- 

 ing one another from habit, from the 

 pleasures and fatigues of a common 

 labor, each couple join not by chance, nor 

 by the pressing necessities of nature, but 

 unite from choice and from taste. They 

 pass together the autumn and the winter. 

 Perfectly satisfied with each other, they 

 never separate. At ease in their cabins, 

 they go not out but upon agreeable or 

 useful excursions, to bring in supplies of 

 fresh bark, which they prefer to what is 

 too dry or too much moistened with 

 water." 



173 



