ELKLAND. 

 II. 



THE BEAVER POND. 



ERNEST SETON THOMPSON. 



The other day, when Ellwood Hofer took 

 me to see the big beaver pond, whence he 

 took 3 beaver for the Washington Zoo, I 

 saw at once a chance to publish a careful 

 drawing of a real beaver pond, to replace 

 the fanciful things one sees in books. 



VIEW LOOKING SOUTHWARD FROM THE 

 ASPEN. FIRST AND SECOND PONDS IN 

 SIGHT. 7 FOOT CANAL IN FOREGROUND. 



The task of making the drawings was a 

 much greater one than I had expected; for 

 instead of 3 dams I found 13. With a 10 

 foot pole, a one foot rule and a compass, 

 I worked 2 days and produced the diagrams 

 herewith. 



" Lost Creek," a Northward running 

 tributary of Elk creek, on which Yancey's 



\\ cl,f f\ 





FIRST OR SOUTHERN SECTION OF THE 

 BEAVER POND. 150 YARDS IN LENGTH. 



Inn is placed, is a small one, 18 inches 

 wide, averaging 3 inches deep and running 

 about V/t. miles an hour. It rises in the 

 marsh at the South end of the big pond. 



This marsh teems with life. It is a veri- 

 table naturalists' paradise. Swarms of 

 Brewer's blackbirds, scores of sora rails, 

 broods of green-winged teal and dozens of 

 song sparrows, hawks, woodpeckers, rock- 



wrens, etc., are heard and seen in every 

 direction. Muskrats swim about, on every 

 side, and express their admiration for their 

 big brothers, the beavers, by imitating 

 everything they do- — except work. The 

 rock-chuck (Arctomys flaviventris?) 



LOOKING UP THE VALLEY. 



abounds in the criolite cliffs on either shore 

 and adds its loud whistle to the other 

 noises. Antelope, mule deer, and elk are 

 common along the shores, and the coyote 

 and badger are usually on hand to harry 

 the gophers which infest the surrounding 

 slopes in thousands. Of countless insects, 

 frogs and snakes I shall say nothing further 

 than that they are there. 



As a matter of fact, it is only by straining 

 a point that I can write of the beaver in a 

 series of articles entitled " Elkland." 



The diagrams and sketches herewith ren- 

 der text almost unnecessary; but a few 

 general remarks will help to a realization 

 of this interesting and complicated piece of 

 engineering. 



The great or central dam is the oldest; 

 for the aspens opposite this were evidently 



VIEW OF THE REMAINS OF THE ASPEN 

 WOOD, OPPOSITE THE FIRST POND. 



the first that were cut away. The willows 

 in this pond are dead; the house is in it, 

 and finally the fact of its superior size is 

 some guarantee of its seniority. This dam 

 is built largely of stone, where it reaches 

 the talus of the cliff, and entirely of mud 

 and wood where it runs into the marsh. 

 While I was there the beaver added a 

 charred pole, 18 feet long and 5 inches thick 



