INTRODUCTION 
T HE DAYS we spend in the forest or beside the stream 
teach us that the creatures of the wild do not lead 
lives of monotonous security. Their days and their 
nights are filled with contest, not only with their 
enemies, but also with the blind forces of Nature. 
In this contest, the survivors are not always the strongest, 
but they are always the ones best fitted to the surroundings 
in which they are placed, or best able to adapt themselves to 
changing conditions. Thus, the tremendous mastodon and the 
ferocious sabre-toothed tiger have long ago departed; while the 
gentle but intelligent beaver has maintained his existence from 
time immemorial down to the present age. 
No animal is more worthy of a place in the scheme of 
things than is the beaver; for, without weapons to defend 
himself against the assaults of fiercer animals, he has managed 
through sheer intelligence to hold his own against all enemies 
except man; and, now that some measure of protection has 
been granted him, he bids fair to remain with us permanently. 
He is not an object of charity. The trees he takes are 
those of least value to the lumberman, and the dams which he 
builds are of real service in flood prevention. His life is a con¬ 
stant struggle, but he faces his difficulties bravely, and usually 
triumphs over them. The purpose of this volume is to show 
how he does this. 
The thanks of the writer are due to Asst. Supt. James 
E. McDade of the Chicago Schools, to Mr. John Nelson of 
Hay Creek, Wisconsin, and to the late Chief Eagle-Feather for 
helpful suggestions in the preparation of this story of O-GO 
and his friends. 
Raymond Kelly, 
Chicago, Illinois. 
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