8 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
October or even earlier, the beavers must work 
diligently and make use of the extraordinary 
intelligence which they have developed through 
the thousands of years since they became as we 
know them to-day. 
The beavers we have been watching in the little 
far-away pond spent but a short time over their 
afternoon tea. The time for enjoyment and ease 
had passed, and they must get to work. The dam 
had to be finished. The house needed its outside 
coating of mud and there was still a large amount 
of wood to be cut for the winter supply. Alto- 
gether an appalling lot to be done in the short time 
that remained before winter; and so the little 
animals left their partly-peeled twigs and each 
went to do that which he considered most neces- 
sary for the welfare of the family. The father 
first made a careful inspection of the dam and 
found many places which were in need of additional 
material. This he procured from the bottom of 
the pond, bringing up big sods of earth and partly 
decayed grass which he carried in his hands, under 
his chin. As these were brought to the dam he 
pushed them into position, arranging every piece 
so that the structure was level and fairly smooth. 
Here and there a stick or short log was deemed 
necessary ; some of these he found on the water’s 
edge, others on the shore. The mother beaver in 
the meantime was busily engaged in improving the 
house. This needed more sticks and the weak 
