WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 
May 26, 1883. I had no difficulty in describing and 
talking of the birds and other animals exhibited until I 
came upon the beavers ; here, however, I felt somewhat 
perplexed to find any kind of cause for the introduction of 
the beavers. This, however, I got over as follows : — ■ 
“ It may be asked, however, by some one acquainted with 
the subject — What have the beavers to do with fish or 
fishing ? as they eat not fish, but are, strictly speaking, 
vegetarians, feeding upon leaves, tender branches and the 
bark of trees, grass and roots. The answer to this inquiry 
may be that the beavers perform, and have performed many 
very important changes in the rivers in various parts of 
the world. Their habit of gnawing down trees, which 
they cause to fall across the streams they inhabit, and, 
like skilful engineers, dam up the rivers, and thus, by 
forming lakes and diverting the overfiow to parts of the 
country previously dry, both water and fish become 
distributed.” 
The beavers have bred in the Gardens for many years,^ 
but I must confess to total ignorance as to the condition 
of the young at birth, nor have I been able to ascertain or 
find from any works on Natural History that have been 
within my reach a solution of the subject. 
Beavers belong to the family of Bodentia, or gnawing 
animals. They may possibly produce their young in a 
very perfect form and condition, as many of this family do. 
For instance, the coypu rat, all the cavies, and the common 
hare produce their young in the most perfect condition, 
covered with fur, eyes open, feeding and running about 
some few hours after birth ; whereas a large number of 
the same family, Bodentia, produce their young in a very 
imperfect state ; they being naked, blind, and remaining in 
the nest for from fifteen to twenty days before they are 
able to crawl about. The common rat, mouse, rabbit and 
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