CHAPTER XVI 



BEAVER 



The beaver is said to be the most interesting of all furbearing 

 animals. It possesses a high degree of intelligence and its instinct is 

 truly marvelous. It works with unlimited patience and shows great 

 ingenuity in the construction of dams, lodges, etc. The beaver will 

 attack any tree without any regard to its thickness and cut it down in 

 a remarkably short time by gnawing through the wood with its sharp 

 knife-Hke teeth. 



The beaver prefers running streams to lakes and ponds and his 

 choice depends somewhat on the location of timber, supply of food, 

 etc. They prefer running streams for the reason that it is much 

 easier for them to float their wood down stream with the current and 

 they move immense logs and guide them to where they are needed 

 for their dam. They usually choose a stream of water that will not 

 freeze to the bottom, and here they will build their lodge and lay 

 away their winter supply of food. 



The beaver has played a very important part in the development 

 of North America. It was trade in the beaver skins that caused 

 the French and English in the early days to push out in the farmost 

 northern points. The Beaver is on the crest of the Dominion of 

 Canada. 



The beaver likes to have a uniform depth of water in the stream 

 where he lives and builds his lodge. In the large rivers there is always 

 enough water for the beaver to swim to safety from his enemy and 

 cover the mouth of the holes that he makes in the bank, but in small 

 streams, where there is danger that the water may fall so low that the 

 beaver will be left in shallow water, a prey to his natural enemies 

 such as the wolverine, lynx, wolf, and even human animals, the beaver 

 does not take chances, and to assure that the water will be always at 

 a constant level, will build a dyke or dam across the stream and thus 

 back up the water. Their first object is to maintain the water 

 at a certain constant level, so that the mouth of their holes in the bank 

 will be submerged during the dry period of the summer. They never 

 cease to work on their dams and strengthen them constantly with 

 clay and stone and all sorts of branches. 



