THE BEAVER 



163 



the stream and back again without being obliged to walk over 

 dry land. 



The floor of a beaver's lodge is always warmly carpeted with 

 dry grasses or the soft fibrous substance which lies between the 



Beavers at Work 



bark of trees and the wood, and the chips which the builders have 

 made in the course of their labours. Round the sides of the 

 chamber are arranged the beds, made of similar materials, of 

 which each beaver is said to have one to himself The space in 

 the middle is always left unoccupied. 



It is a somewhat singular fact that in almost every colony 



