SOME TIMBER CUTTERS 97 
that is he belongs to the rat family, and is about 
the size of Daddy Thornton’s rat-terrier. He 
has a broad head, small eyes, a blunt nose, and 
short, rounded ears. There are five toes on each 
foot, those on the hind feet being webbed. His 
teeth are a bright orange color and as sharp as 
chisels. His tail is about eleven inches long, 
broad and flat and covered with scales. He uses 
it to prop himself when he stands on his hind 
legs. In the water it is the rudder which directs 
his course, and he also uses it as a paddle. He 
is a graceful and powerful swimmer, and never 
by any chance travels by land unless forced to do 
so. His tail is, in fact, one of his most useful 
members. Folks used to say that he used it as a 
trowel. This is not true, but he does slap it on 
the ground sharply as a warning of danger. One 
slap, and you should see the others scatter! 
“ All told, the beaver is a very remarkable 
creature, and a more clever and industrious little 
craftsman than he would be hard to find. He 
lives in a burrow during the summer and in 
lodges in winter. Always the entrance to the 
home is under water, and it must be down deep 
enough so that there is no danger of its being 
stopped up by ice. This is the real reason that 
beavers build dams. Ordinarily the site selected 
by them is not a stream of sufficient depth to 
guarantee safety from the advances of the ice 
