Jan. 25, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
125 
Eastern League Shoot. 
Washington, D. C., Jan. 20. — The results of the 
matches of the third week of the Eastern League shoot 
for the interclub gallery rifle shooting championship of 
the United States for the new national trophy are as 
Birmingham. (Ala.) A. C. Rifle Association defeated 
the Thirteenth Regiment Rifle Club, of Brooklyn, N. Y., 
941 to 919; District of Columbia Rifle Association de¬ 
feated the Myles Standish Rifle Club, of Portland, Me., 
983 to 969; Manchester (N. II.) Rifle Club, defeated the 
New Orleans Rifle and Revolver Club, 974 to 9W; the 
Park ()lub, of Bridgeoort, Conn., defeated the Bangor 
(Me) Rifle Association, 989 to 968; Presque Isle Rifle 
Club of Erie, Pa., with a score of 933 won by default 
from’ the Philadelphia Rifle Association; the Warren 
(Pa ) Rifle Club with a score of 99 , the highest yet made 
in the league matches, won from the Winchester Rod 
and Gun Club, of New Haven, Conn., by default 
The possible score for a team is 1000. The shooting 
is being done on 75ft. gallery ranges, using .22cal. rifles. 
THE TENANTS OF THE IRON BARRIER. 
Concluded from page 103. 
ground, took my belt knife, cut a stout stick, 
sharpened it and began to tear out the fiesh 
work which was almost completed. It was al¬ 
most impossible to move any part of the masonry 
which was secured so firmly. But after a hard 
struggle I got the water started and went back 
to my tree to await results. I was sure that the 
beavers had not smelled me, and such being the 
case I was confident they would soon return to 
the work. Shortly I saw the old boss stick his 
head out of the water and swim over to the dam, 
carefully scanning every object and raising on 
his hind feet and sniffing all around. After satis¬ 
fying his curiosity he gave two terrible blows 
with his tail, then ran to where the water was 
pouring over the dam. He went through all 
manner of antics and was soon joined by the 
entire force. Strange to say, no other beaver 
after coming to the surface even stopped to look 
or sniff, but started to work as though he were 
a fireman at a fire, and in one-fourth of the 
time it had taken me to reach the water, they 
had stopped it entirely. Now the regular work 
went on again without interruption until all 
parts of the dam were of uniform height. 
After a fearful beating of the surface with their 
tails, all the animals jumped into the pond and 
began swimmijig as though in perfect delight. 
Then the old superintendent went all over the 
newly constructed dam, going last to the point 
just finished, which he gave a few pelts with 
his tail. He then joined the others in their 
swimming celebration. When I alighted from 
the tree, the alarm was given, and all the beavers 
disappeared.” 
This statement on the face of it shows the 
result of a little mental hallucination, for while 
the writer undoubtedly has watched beavers at 
work like all others who wish to impress upon 
the eager public that his observations have been 
exceptional, hence the pen will deviate into the 
realms of fancy. The beaver evinces no direct 
intellectual superiorities, but it is far more ad¬ 
vanced than others of the lower animal family. 
In the present day very little trapping for the 
beaver is done, save in isolated districts where 
the intrusion of man has not worked its de¬ 
struction upon their diminished numbers. And 
even where such districts are found, the man¬ 
ner of procedure on the part of the trapper 
must be carefully gauged. One old woodsman 
has the following information to offer on the 
subject; 
“A full grown family of beavers consists of 
the parents, their three-year-old offspring, the 
two-year-olds and the yearlings, four genera¬ 
tions of four different sizes, occupying one hut 
and doing business in one pond. Finding such 
a pond, the trapper’s object should be to take 
them all, and he should conduct his operations 
in such a manner that when one is caught it 
will not alarm the rest; otherwise the whole 
family may leave for parts unknown. His care 
should be directed toward two points, namely, 
first to the setting of the traps in such a way 
as to take each beaver while alone; and second¬ 
ly, to make arrangements for drowning them as 
speedily as possible after they have been taken. 
To secure the first point he should not set his 
traps near the dwelling of the beavers, but 
should select places at some distance up the 
pond on some point or neck of land projecting 
into the stream where the animals pass and re¬ 
pass, but where each will be likely to go alone. 
The trap should be set close to the shore, about 
three inches under water and should be care¬ 
fully secreted' by a covering of a soft substance 
that will not interfere with the trap springing. 
As a lure, the scent taken from a beaver castor 
may be left on the bank near the trap. If the 
trapper’s approach was made from the land, all 
footprints should be erased by drenching with 
water. To secure the second point the chain of 
the trap should be attached to a sliding pole, 
which will lead the captured beaver into deep 
water and drown him. 
“Beavers are sometimes taken by breaking 
away their dam, two inches below the surface, 
in one or two places and setting the traps in 
the breaches. They keep sentinels who examine 
their dams every night, and the least break is 
soon detected and put under repair. The cap¬ 
ture of one here would like as not frighten the 
others away. When the ponds are frozen over, 
make a hole in the ice about three feet across 
near the shore and near a house. Cut a tree of 
birch, poplar or alder about six inches in diam¬ 
eter, press the top together and shove the whole 
under the ice in such a direction that the beaver 
will be likely to pass and repass it in going to 
and from their house. The butt of the tree 
should be fastened at the shore under the ice. 
Directly under the butt, about ten or twelve 
inches below, a platform should be set. The 
chain ring should be attached as before to a dry 
sliding pole. After the trap is set and secured, 
the hole in the ice should be filled up with snow 
and covered with water and allowed to freeze 
solid. The beaver passing the newly cut tree 
and discovering its freshness will proceed to¬ 
ward the butt for the purpose of securing the 
whole for food, and in gnawing it off near the 
shore over the trap will be likel)' to be taken. 
The reason why the sliding pole should be dry 
is that if it is green the remaining beavers will 
be likely to gnaw it off and take it home with 
them, trap, beaver and all for the sake of the 
bark the sliding pole has contained,” 
The present writer, who has resurrected the 
above written method will add that it is one of 
the best known when trapping the animals under 
the ice. But every trapper does not proceed in 
exactly the same manner, but the basic idea is 
wholly the same. 
Higher navinautics from daily press: “He 
sighted a schooner dead ahead and about a 
mile to starboard.” 
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