THE BEAVER. 



has walked over them with the greater! fafety. Having by thefe means 

 collected a mfficient quantity of water for their purpofe, they begin to erect 

 their houfes near the edge of the more. Thefe houfes are conftructed of 

 earth, Hones, and flicks, cemented together with great art and ingenuity, and 

 plaiflered within as neatly as if they were built by a maibn. They have but 

 one opening(A), which is always next the water; for, were it on the land 

 tide, the frofly air would enter at that hole and freeze up the water, whereby 

 they would be cut off from their magazine ; and the cold would be greater 

 than they could bear ; for, although they are very warmly clad, it is well 

 known that they cannot endure fevere froft, but will die if expofed to it for 

 a fhort time. Each houfe contains from two to thirty Beavers. Every 

 Beaver forms its own bed of mofs ; and each family fills its magazine with 

 proviflons againfl the winter, which they lodge under water, and bring into 

 their apartments as they want them(B). If there is an iiland in the pond, 

 they generally make choice of that, as the fafefl. place to build on ; and the 

 greater! number of their houfes are placed on the north more, that they may 

 enjoy more of the fun. If the pond, in which they have lived during one 

 winter, has plenty of their favourite food in its vicinity, and they have not 

 been diflurbecl, they very rarely quit it ; but if the fupply of proviflons runs 

 fliort, they will wander about, till they have found another fpot where there 

 is greater plenty. When they remain three or four years in the fame pond, 

 they frequently erecl: a new houfe every year, although the old one is not 

 much the worfe for wear; fometimes they will repair an old one which has 

 been forfaken, and live in that. It often happens that they build a new 

 houfe upon, or clofe by, an old one, joining the two tops into one, and cut 

 a communication between them from one to the other : hence it is probable 

 that the idea of their having feveral apartments took its rife. They are fo 

 induflrious, that even when they have laid in an abundant flock of proviflons, 

 they flill go on adding to the flore ; and when their houfes are completely 

 finiihed, they flill carry on frefli works ; nor will they delift when the pond 

 is frozen firmly over, but continue to work on the houfe for fome nights 



(a) Cartwright. (b) Pennant. 



