AM I-HTC:AX AG-TlT(XJL/rUIlTST. 
58 
9 
The Beaver—( 'f i 
'I'ln' lu'.-iver i-; :ui'>ili. r c!" Iho-t; iiUcreslinj 
(liKulnijx-il-i \vliich the* man h of rivilizaliou cw- 
IfTiuiiiaU ^. ^Vl■ are l eiuiiukal constantly of the 
fai t tliat they wrre once nhnndant throughout 
the Northern Spates, by the creeks, ponds and 
meadows whicli bear the marks of their wondor- 
lul engineering. It i.s a pleas;mt fancy that 
all the trades have 
tiieir ri'pre.seiitaiiv'S 
among the brute 
creation; the Beaver 
is the civil engineer. 
Oid beaverdiam.sstill 
stand, and, in not a 
few locations, are 
now' bitsy miii-^.u•.s. 
The accumulated d,c- 
pcr.sit.s of ^i;t and rul>- 
bish carried dowit 
by tiie dammed-up 
streams, a.nd dn-pos;;.- 
cd in the si n k wa¬ 
ter above the lams, 
form more i crma- 
nenl monuments to 
the beaver’.s iudiu.s- 
try, than the d.ams, 
wliic’.i have, in the 
mo.st ca.'es, roJtcd 
ami been Avasbed 
away, while the dm 
jiosits above them 
have become cover¬ 
ed by swann> vege¬ 
tation, and, as “ beaver meadows,” perpetuate 
the memory of the indnslrions eoi()nie3 once 
» slablished uiAon them. The Beaver belongs to 
the family of the mk/ks—gnawers—di.stinguish- 
ed hy two pairs of verj' strong, sharp, cutting, 
front teeth. They arc found in both hemis- 
phcrc-s, hut mo.st An; 
abundanlly in North ' 
America, and arc 
hunted and trapped 
for their fur, Avhich 
i.s very valuable if 
taken'in the winter 
sea.-^on. They an; 
from 2 to 3 feet in 
length, c-xcln.sivc of 
the tail, Avhich mea¬ 
sures about a foot, is 
of oval form, flatten¬ 
ed laterally, and cov- 
pred with semi- 
horny scales instead 
of fur. The hind feet 
are webbed ; but tin; 
fore-feet are not. The 
body is low, squat 
on the bind fech 
the caiv, small and 
ronndeil, and the bn' 
is e.xceedingly tine, 
soil and elo.sc, tliick- 
ly int»Tsper.sed Avith u;iin:\v MOi 
coarse bair.s. Tlic.ss r^nl iek- 
balrs are removed by tne process of phic. 
inn-” Avhen the fur is prepared for use. 
It i.s absurd to exaggerate psydiological qua i- 
tie.sin animals, '^Nevertheless 
who huvo liBioncj to ii.B irBH.'B'* 
tales Beavers act m concert m fellm„ . 
taotan, lIloBting them, u,,,. log, cut f,™u.h=n., 
down stream to form tlioir dams. Tlic trees are 
ancliorcd by stones ami gravel piled upon those 
parts of their tops Avliieh rest upon the bottom; 
and the dams are finished by buildiiig-in logs, 
stones and boughs, the interstices being Idled 
Avith gravel and mud. The dams are built or 
repairetl in the summer AA'hen the Avater is Ioav, 
and in the autumn the bcaA'crs, in families of 4 
(•Itl, ami 0 orSyoungonc.s, construct theii- Ikuncs, 
Tiin BE.VA'EU. —{Castor Canadensis.) 
Avhich are made of sticks, stones and mud, piled 
in a broad circle, a chamber about 7 feet Avide 
being left in flic center, the floor of AAdiich is 
above usual high Avater. As the structure rises, it 
is contracted into a dome, the cavity being about 
3 feet high, and the thickness of the Avails above 
E, {Hcahrpsaquatiau.\ AND ST.UI-XOSED mole, {Condul 
and around being often from five to 
The entrances to these lodges arc all bcloAV 
the water level when the dam is full, and near 
and about them canals and channels aie form 
Avhich communicate with 
Avhich consists of the bark stripped from the 
logs used for their dams, and that of logs am 
boughs of the AvilloAV, aspen, poplar, and othci 
softwooded non-resinous trees. 
Beavers are not only valuable feu- their fur, 
but for the drug Castor, or Castoreura, Avhicli is 
found in sacks near the root of the tail, and is 
used ill medicine. It is used also by the hunters 
as a means of attracting beavers to the trap. 
Beavers are easily domesticated, and as their 
food is Avillow bark, they might perliaps lx; 
economically bred and fed on the bark stripped 
fi'or.i Avillows used for basket making. If not 
domesticated,this in¬ 
teresting animal Avill 
soon be extinct in 
tlie United States. 
Shrew Mole and 
Star-nosed Mole. 
The common Am¬ 
erican Mole is the 
SlircAV Mole {Scalops 
aquaticus), though 
the Star-nosed Mole 
{Condylura cristata) 
is not rare. The for¬ 
mer is found in many 
gardens and flelds 
Avhere it does much 
benefit by destroying 
grubs and Avorms in 
the soil, and some 
harm also in disturb¬ 
ing the roots of 
plants by its subter¬ 
ranean galleries. The 
question Avhether 
moles arc, on the 
Avhole, friends or enemies, is Avorthy of dis¬ 
cussion. Uor our oaa'u part, considering theii 
most ravenous appetites and the great amount 
of food they require to sustain life, Avhich may 
easily be seen Avben one is caught alive and fed, 
Ave are inclined to regard them as friends, 3 he 
family name, Talpi- 
d(B, covers a number 
of similar genera in 
different parts of the 
Avorld. They agree 
in living a short dis¬ 
tance beloAV the sur¬ 
face of the ground, 
having stout,clumsy 
bodies, Avitbout ap¬ 
parent neck or ex¬ 
ternal cars, exceed¬ 
ingly small eyes and 
short legs, the fore¬ 
feet being generally 
very broad and arm¬ 
ed Avith strong claAVS. 
In all, the senses of 
smell, hearing,;and 
feeling, are very 
acute. Thev are able 
to move swiftl}'’ 
about in their gal¬ 
leries, and to extend 
tlieniAAdth great ease 
and rapidity. The 
fur of the ShrcAV 
Hole, or 
site fineness, and lies i 
tion. The very remark 
the termination o i besides, three 
fringe States, the Silver Mole 
ara cristata.) 
yon 
