PUR FACTS 143 



Their lodge consists of a hut of two stories completely surround- 

 ed by water. The upper story is above the water level and is dry 

 and is used as the residence of the animal. The lower story is under 

 water and rests on the bed of the stream, and is used as a storage 

 place for their bark, etc. The lower story alone is open, and the en- 

 trance is under the water. These lodges or huts are made of bark and 

 branches and are plastered with mud. In addition to the lodge they 

 also have burrows along the bank in which they seek shelter when 

 their lodges are attacked. Beavers do their work usually at night 

 and are very industrious and apparently never become discouraged. 

 If, after working for weeks to build a dam or a lodge house, something 

 unforeseen takes place and destroys the dams or lodge, they immed- 

 iately start in to repair the dam, and if possible work all the harder, 

 so the expression to "work like a beaver" really means to work hard 

 and industriously. 



The Indians have always been very superstitious about the 

 beaver, many of them believing that beaver were formerly a people 

 endowed with speech, but that the great Spirit has taken the power 

 of speech away from them so that they can not grow superior in 

 understanding to mankind. 



The beaver is a vegetarian and lives on the bark of young 

 birch, aspen, and poplar trees. It is a great eater and consumes 

 great quantities of roots and wood. The female beaver usually has 

 from two to five young at a time, and it is said that the cry of the 

 young beaver pup resembles the cry of an infant. During the first 

 year the young remain with their parents. After, this and during the 

 second year, they usually occupy an adjoining lodge or hut and 

 assist in building, cutting down trees, and securing food. After 

 they are two years old they usually depart and build houses of their 

 own, and often travel for a considerable time before they finally fix 

 on a spot for their dwelling. 



There are bachelors among beavers similar to the bachelor seals, 

 who live by themselves, build no houses, and work on no dams, but 

 take life easy. They usually find shelter in holes that some other 

 family of beavers have constructed, and according to old-time trap- 

 pers apparently do not worry about anything except supplying 

 themselves with food. 



Experienced trappers that have studied the habits of the beavers 

 say that the male beaver who is head of the household is very jealous 

 of his family, and if a strange male or a bachelor beaver approaches 

 the lodge house, the old male will swim out and drive the intruder 



