i64 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



of these busy little creatures there are two or three which will 

 not work like their companions, but prefer to spend their time 

 in idleness. These are not allowed to live in the lodges with the 

 rest, and are driven away if they venture to show themselves. 

 They therefore live in holes in the banks of the stream, which 

 they excavate with their sharp claws. They are generally called 

 " terriers " by the hunters. 



A mere glance at a beaver would be sufficient to show us that 

 the animal is intended to spend a considerable portion of its life 

 in the water. Its fur is formed like that of the seal, a layer of 

 thick bristly hairs covering a warm coating of softer fur which 

 lies beneath them. That this provision is necessary we can easily 

 understand, when we remember that during some six months in 

 the year the watery home of the beaver is frozen over. 



We should note, too, that both the nostrils and ears are firmly 

 closed by the pressure of water upon them, so that nothing can 

 enter while the animal is swimming beneath the surface. This 

 is a sure sign of an aquatic animal. 



And we should notice that the toes of the hinder feet are 

 united by stout membrane like those of the ducks and swans, 

 so that they can be employed as paddles. With these the beaver 

 rows itself, so to speak, through the water, as though its body 

 were a boat, and the legs the oars. Every boat, however, requires 

 a rudder by which its course can be directed, and this the beaver 

 possesses in its tail, which is broad and flattened, and admirably 

 fulfils that purpose. 



This broad, flat tail is sometimes employed in quite a different 

 way. If a beaver, when swimming at the surface of a river, be 

 suddenly alarmed, he raises his tail and brings it down with 

 astonishing force upon the water, causing a shower of spray to 

 fly up into the air, while the sound of the concussion can be heard 

 at a distance of more than a quarter of a mile. By this singular 

 trick warning is probably given to other beavers. 



The fore-paws of the beaver are not employed in swimming, 

 but are used for building, carrying, and conveying food to the 

 mouth. In the manipulation of small objects the animal displays 

 much tact, and will peel a potato by merely turning it round and 



