DIMINUTIVE BEAVERS 
27 
the thorns freely eaten. The branches selected have 
been cut into lengths of two or three inches, and each 
heap shows the location of a permanent camp. 
The long winter has been a severe trial for the 
little world out of doors ; and the debris of so much 
industry naturally prompts a feeling of pity for the 
workers struggling with the problem of problems. 
But sympathy is generally misplaced. It may be 
that the great depth of snow was an assurance of 
safety and comfort, allowing them to remain quietly 
in their little camps while the great barking and 
sniffing disturbers rushed noisily over their heads. 
An energetic dog, running about on the snow, can 
keep a whole multitude of these rodents on the move 
in their burrows. The permanent camps of the past 
winter may reveal a season of exceptional comfort 
and leisure, with no intrusion from the meddlesome 
world that moves in the daylight above the snow. 
