ap and nutrition,
and is, as a body, without blood and animation. He therefore chooses a
place favorable for obtaining food, and also where his labors will be
assisted by natural formations or accidents in the river's course and
construction. Having pitched upon the right section to build, he
sets to work with his fellows and falls giant trees. In this he again
exhibits his wonderful instinct; for, while one party is cutting
with their sharp teeth the hard wood of one side of the tree, another
division is actively employed on the other side, never forgetting to
make, like unto the woodman, the lowest incision on the side the tree
is to fall, which, to suit their purposes, is always directly into and
across the stream. When a tree is thus fallen, it is attacked in its
branches, which are so turned and woven together in the outline of the
dam as to catch in their meshes any floating material, or receive the
tail-loads of soil and rubbish which they carry to it. Another and
another tree are then systematically fallen and arranged as is the
first, until the work is finished as completely as if it had been
planned and executed by a reasoning mind. The finishing stroke is
the transporting of the mud and laying it. In this labor, they show
themselves to be excellent masons. They now act in concert. A large
gang marches in a line to the bank where they load each other's tails
and swim with their cargoes elevated above and free from the water.
When they arrive at an unfinished point of the dam they dump the mud
and mould it in place. Their houses they have previously built in the
river banks. These consist of holes which lead into large and airy
subterranean rooms, and which are above the water-mark. In these
houses they are said to sleep and live in pairs; and, if we could
believe the story of the trapper related many pages back, they imitate
human beings in managing their household and in keeping house. The
main object they have in staying the progress of the current of the
river is to afford a deep place where, having fallen numbers of trees,
the deep water will preserve tender and fresh the limbs and shrubs on
which to subsist during, not only time present, but also time to come.
It is well known that fresh branches of trees and young willows, when
placed in water, will keep up partial life for a considerable length
of time. On this principle, the beaver acts in submerging his food
deep in the water where it will retain its v