THE LIFE OF A BEAVER COLONY 91 
to their island. That again served a two-fold 
purpose ; it made a deep place close to the house 
in which the winter food could be stored well below 
ice, and was the best of building material. The 
mud packed well among the woodwork, and the 
roots held it together and helped to prevent 
cracking. All this work was done with their hands, 
the clumps of sod being carried in their arms 
against the chin, and forced into position with the 
hands and nose. They did not follow the story- 
book method of patting it down with their tails. 
Very little mud was used in the centre of the lodge, 
as that was the ventilating flue. 
The woodwork was laid apparently in a very 
haphazard way, but always with the idea of making 
a rounded dome of tangled material which could 
not easily be torn apart. With surprising speed 
this grew, and within two weeks it had reached a 
height of over three feet and a maximum circum- 
ference at the base of about twenty feet. The 
inside in the meantime had been cut out over the 
land entrance of the tunnel, leaving a domed cavity 
twenty-three inches high and four feet across. Even 
in its rough condition, the lodge was quite suitable 
for asummer home, but as a precautionary measure, 
a second tunnel was made to enable the inmates to 
escape rapidly in case of emergency, and they never 
could tell at what moment an otter might make his 
way in. They are unwelcome visitors and are so 
quick and strong. that the beavers, notwithstanding 
