ght of our uncle. Though
we had not heard a shot for some time, we suddenly came upon him, when
he put up his hand as a signal to us not to speak, and crept forward
through the reeds. We followed him, until he stopped behind a tree, and
leaning forward looked up the stream, which flowed over a rocky bed
close to us, while a short distance off a dam, which seemed to have been
constructed by human hands--so considerable was its extent--was thrown
across from side to side, the water beyond it being perfectly smooth.
Out of it rose a number of round-topped artificial structures, some two
feet or more above the surface, while a large community of animals,
which we knew at once were beavers, were busily moving about, some
employed in either repairing or increasing their dam, others in dragging
pieces of willow across their lake, either to form new abodes, to mend
any fractures in the old ones, or to serve as food, the fresh bark being
their chief article of diet. Some again were on shore gnawing away at
young trees with their sharp teeth, and two fell directly over the
stream while we were watching them. Instantly the whole community
hurried forward to assist in cutting off the branches and reducing the
log to a more manageable size.

Unwilling to disturb them, we remained perfectly silent.

Of course we might have shot several; but had we done so, it would have
been difficult afterwards to obtain them, and possibly the community
might have moved off to some other locality. Having, therefore,
satisfied our curiosity, we retired, and made our way back to the spot
where we intended to camp, and where we hoped Dio would join us.

It is seldom that beavers can be seen at work in the day-time, as they
usually perform their various tasks during the hours of darkness. I may
as well here describe the beaver. It is about three and a half feet
long, including the tail, which is flat, covered with scales, and shaped
like a paddle, being about a foot in length. Its back is covered with
long thin hair of a light chestnut colour, beneath which lies a fine
wool of soft greyish brown. The head is rather round than pointed, the
jaws of extraordinary strength, its teeth being also of great power and
extreme sharpness, to enable it to gnaw through wood as well as to bite
off the bark from the trees on which it chiefly lives. The object of
the animals in building the wonderful dams they often construct, is that
they may form ponds in