THE BEAVER AS A SPECIES 213 
three-quarters of an inch in length, while the hair 
is from two to two-and-a-half inches long, dark in 
colour and fairly shiny. The general colour of the 
animal is chestnut brown, but it varies considerably 
according to locality, from a lightish yellow to 
very dark brown, and in very rare instances to 
almost black. Albinism, either partial or com- 
plete, is comparatively rare. The colour of the 
young beaver is decidedly greyer than that of the 
adults, the length of one four days old is about 
fourteen inches. 
Outwardly there is nothing to distinguish the 
sexes, except when the female is suckling her 
young; then her four teats, which are situated 
between the fore legs, are slightly enlarged. The 
number of young at birth varies from two to six, 
rarely more, the common number being four. They 
are born between the end of April and beginning 
of June after a period of gestation which is believed 
to last about fourteen weeks. 
In swimming the beaver uses its hind legs and 
to a very limited extent its tail, chiefly for sudden 
starts and turns. In this respect it differs entirely 
from the muskrat, which swims chiefly with its tail, 
which acts as ascull. The front feet are, as the 
trappers say, “put into its waistcoat pockets,” in 
other words, held downwards along the sides. The 
head is clearly visible when the animal swims and 
the top of the back more or less so according to the 
speed at which it is going. When lying perfectly 
