CASTOROI.OGIA. 1 75 



shorter and broader. The eyes are dark blue and very small in pro- 

 portion to the size of the animal — about half an inch in diameter is 

 the maximum measurement — and highly convexed to enable them 

 to be used under water ; they are, according to M. Sarrasin, fur- 

 nished with three separate lids. The ears are also small, quite round 

 and concealed in the fur and hair. "When the pellage is prime, that 

 is in its perfect stage, a shaggy, loose growth of long hair covers the 

 entire head and body to the butt or base of the tail, diminishing on 

 the lips, eyelids, feet and legs ; the colors and textures of both hair 

 and fur or wool have already been discussed. The anterior feet or 

 hands, as they have not inappropriately been 

 termed, are so dexterous as to favor compar- 

 ison with the hands of the monkey ; with 

 them the creature builds the dam and the 

 lodge, and excavates the burrow, and they 

 are also used to convey food to the mouth 

 in a truly astonishing manner. Though the 

 front feet are not usually employed in swim- 



., . ^'1.1 i_ • ■ • _ beaver's head. 



mmg there is a very perceptible web joining ^^^^^^ ^^„^ ^^^^^ „p^_, 

 the third and fourth digits, which does not 



seem fitted for any apparent purpose, unless it might be to facilitate 

 the handling of mud in the plastering of the lodges or dams. 



The powerful hind feet, with their development of web extending 

 to the extreme points, afford the perfect model for aquatic life and 

 may be likened to the feet of the turtle. The large heel-pad and 

 strong nails enable the creature when on land to stand upright firmly 

 on the hind feet, a position very generally assumed when at work. 

 On the second toe there is a most remarkable double claw or nail, 

 which apparently is only used for combing the fur. Owing to the 

 inequality in the proportions of the legs to the feet, and also partly 

 to the fact that the toes have a very appreciable inward curve, the 

 gait of the beaver is waddling and ungraceful. Its awkwardness 

 and clumsiness seem heightened by the difficulty in managing its 

 cumbrous tail, which, though sometimes slightly elevated or even 

 curved upwards, is generally dragged along the ground and moves 

 from side to side at each step. 



