384 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



ing them with their teeth : Thefe they lay acrofs the dam 

 with furprifing labour and perfeverance, or form into 

 piles, which others roll down to the water, where they 

 make holes at the bottom for receiving the ends, and 

 placing them upright, fecure them in that pofition ; 

 whilft another party is engaged in collecting twigs, inter- 

 weaving and twilling them with the piles, and thereby 

 {lengthening the work : Some collect large quantities of 

 earth, (lones, clay, and other folid materials, which they 

 difpofe of on the upper fide of the piles next the flream, 

 forming a mound ten or twelve feet thick at the bottom, 

 tapering gradually upwards, and capable of fuftaining a 

 confiderable weight of water. The length of the dam, 

 occafioned by this means, is fometimes not lefs than one 

 hundred feet. — Having compleated the mole, their next 

 care is to erecl: their apartments, which are built on 

 piles : They are of a circular form, and generally confift 

 of three (lories, about eight feet high above the water : 

 The firft lies below the level of the dam, and is generally 

 full of water ; the other two are above it. The walls are 

 two feet in thicknefs, neatly plaiftered with clay on the 

 infide, which is arched like an oven, and at the top re- 

 ferable s a dome. — In each houfe there are two openings, 

 — one towards the water, to which the animal has always 

 accefs, in cafe of furprife ; the other towards the land, 

 by which it goes out in quell of food. — The number of 

 houfes in one of thefe dams is from ten to twenty-five, 

 fome of them large enough to contain a family of twenty 

 or thirty Beavers. Each Beaver forms its bed of mofs 5 

 and each family lays in its magazine of winter provifion, 

 which confifts of bark and boughs of trees: They pile up 

 the latter with great ingenuity and regularity, and draw 

 It out to their apartments as their wants require. They 



