THE LIFE OF A BEAVER COLONY 115 
pelled her to utter the mother’s call. It was all 
over, the lesson was learned, both by herself and 
her family, and she swam back, diving without 
noise, and disappeared in the lodge where three 
frightened and hungry kittens awaited her. 
Fortunately no other misfortune marred the 
happiness of the little colony during the summer. 
The weeks were spent in play and enjoyment and 
in investigating the surrounding country. Shortly 
before the approach of autumn the plans which had 
probably been formed many weeks earlier took 
form. The aspen grove must be reached and it 
was decided that the old canal should be extended 
from the part which had been started the previous 
year to where the trees grew. Excavating a suit- 
able trench was not easy work, but the two old 
beavers, with the assistance of their three well- 
grown children, undertook the task. The canal 
started at the lake. It was about two and a half 
feet wide and fifteen inches deep. Some of the 
mud was taken out and carried into the pond, but 
most was piled up on the sides. It ran in a direct 
line toward the aspens, but after it had extended 
about seventy yards, the rising land made it 
necessary to dig down toa depth of two feet or 
more in order to have sufficient water. Evidently 
they could not continue in this way, as it would 
mean making a trench over four feet deep before 
the desired end could be reached, so the intelligent 
animals constructed a small dam and continued the 
12 
