146 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
shelter which prevents the rapid evaporation of the 
water ; the result is of course the lessening of the 
amount in the larger rivers. At certain seasons the 
supply is too great, and floods do infinite damage. 
At other times there is a great shortage. Man, in 
order to prevent this uneven supply, builds enor- 
mous dams which retain the water during the season 
of plenty, and deal it out as needed during the hot 
summer months. But even with man’s most care- 
fully arranged plans and vast expenditure of money, 
we hear of periodic water famines, with the result- 
ing hardships which have such far-reaching and 
disastrous results. But what, may be asked, has 
this got to do with beaver? A glance at the work 
of those small animals will answer the question. 
Their dams, built most often near the head waters 
of streams, result in countless reservoirs, which 
keep the water in check and allow only the steady 
flow of a small amount, so that droughts in a beaver 
country are almost unknown, as there is always a 
sufficient supply kept in reserve. In some few 
parts of the country stock owners have begun to 
realise this important fact with the highly satis- 
factory result that these men are protecting beaver, 
which they regard as of the utmost value, because 
they can actually see the benefits which result from 
the work of these insignificant engineers. In the 
western States this exhibition of the importance of 
the beaver is most in evidence, and we may hope that 
other parts of the country will eventually, and 
