1466 ROMANCE OF THE BEAVER 
was but a short time before the industrious animals 
commenced work; the stream was so small that 
they were unable even to swim in it, so a dam 
was planned and rapidly constructed. Trees were 
felled, some of which were nearly eighteen inches in 
diameter; from these the branches were cut, then 
divided into convenient lengths and used in the 
dam building; the bottom of the stream was 
dredged and the mud and roots used to finish off 
the structure and make it watertight. The number 
of trees decreased so rapidly through the industry 
of those four-footed engineers that it became 
necessary to protect those that still remained: 
unharmed with heavy wire netting. This.at first 
was fastened to the tree in direct contact, but it 
was soon discovered that the beavers could cut the 
tree between the meshes. To prevent this an iron 
rail, to which the wire was attached, was placed at 
a little distance from the tree. The dam was by 
this time fairly large, but not as large as was. 
needed. More material was needed, so a great 
quantity of cut wood was thrown into the enclosure 
and was immediately utilised by the beavers; in a 
short time the level of the water was raised many 
feet with the result that a pond of considerable. 
dimensions was formed. Three other dams were 
also built down stream from the main structure, 
about fifty feet apart. It was late summer by the 
time this work was accomplished, and a house had. 
to be built with as little delay as possible, for with 
