52 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
that bark is the chief food, and that in order 
to obtain a supply sufficient to carry the animals 
over the long, dreary, snow-bound winter months 
a quantity must be stored. Needless to say, 
this necessitates the felling of trees and sap- 
lings before the cold weather comes. A certain 
amount of brush is used from which the tender 
bark is eaten, and most of this brush is obtained 
from the ends of branches, although some shrubs 
are alsocut. Apparently not so much bark is eaten 
during the spring and summer as later, if we may 
judge from the peeled sticks which are found in 
such abundance in September, October and Novem- 
ber. During the earlier part of this season, no wood 
is stored, though many trees are either cut or partly 
cut, while still more are simply marked or blazed, 
as already stated in the beginning of this volume. 
This blazing at first glance reminds one of the work 
of the lumber-man and we are inclined to put a 
wrong construction on beavers’ ideas. We might 
think that the trees are simply being marked for 
cutting later on, or that the head of the family or 
colony selects what trees he considers should be 
felled and marks them with the three or four cuts. 
But though such theories are most alluring, and 
one is surprised that they have not led to additional 
stories of beaver-wonders, common sense steps in 
and offers a logical reason which should be con- 
sidered, even though it is merely practical and not 
at all particularly wonderful. This explanation is 
