The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-06-08
VOL. XIII.-NO. 20.


The houses or lodges Of beavers are al
most with exception grouped together near
the edge Of the water, the mud being
scraped away from the front so as to Sc
cure a sufficient depth of water to allow Of
free egress even during the most severe
frost. The winter stores of the animal
consisting Of piles or heaps Of wood. are
always :nder water, and at such DEPTHS
that they cannot be licked up by ice.
When the depth of water is not sufficient
dam IS constructed, by the side of which
the lodge is placed. These dams are some.
times 300 yards in width, and always con-
vex toward the current; frequently they
extend on both sides beyond the natural
channel of the stream. In their building
beavers interlaee small branches with each
other, securing them to the larger with
great ingenuity. A beaver kept in con-
fnement has been known to exhibit his
building instincts By weaving twies into
the wires of his cage.
A beavers lodge resembles in shane
the snow houses of the Esquimaux, being
nearly circular in form and half as high
as they are wide. The average height is
about three feet, and the diameter six or
seven. These are the interior dimensions.
the exterior measurements being much
greater on account of the exceeding thick
ness Of the walls, which are continually
strengthened by their owners with mud
and branches, 20 that during the severe
frOsts they are nearly as hard as solid
stone. The beaver is social animal. and
each lodge viii accommodate several in
habitants, whose beds are arranged about
the wall. Generally the beavers desert
their huts in the summertime. although
one or two Of group Of houses may be
occupied by mother and her young Of
spring. All the old beavers who have no
domestic ties to keep them at home take
to the water and swim up and down the
stream at liberty until the month of Au-
gust, when they return to their homes.
There are also certain individuals, called
by the trapppers les pGTesseur, or idlers,
which do not live in houses and build no
dams, but abide in subterranean tunnels
like those of our common water-rat. to
which they are closely allied. These pa
resseur are always males, and it sometimes
happens that several will inhabit the same
tunnel. The trapper is always pleased
when he finds the habitatiOn Of an idler,
as its capture is a comparatively easy mat
ter. Tho beaver is easily tanned, but
naturally no wooden cage will keep one
confined.
1t was an unhappy day for the seal when
fashionable maids and matrons began to
covet his warm coat Within the last de-
cade millions Of skins have been used in
this country and in Europe, and thousands
of tons of shipping are annually employed
in their capture. Large herds of seals Of
various species, especially the Greenland
and hooded seals, are found floating on
fields of ice in our northern seas.
Few animals are more tenacious Of life
than the seal, and the most needless cruel
ties used to be practieed in their capture.
Now the larger species are generally killed
at once with lance thrust into the heart.
and the smaller ones are stunned bv a
blow on the nose from a long-handled
hammer, with sharp spike on the oppo-
site side TO hook into the skull. The Is
quimaux hunt them in light boats with
lances, or spear them at holes in the ice
when they come up TO breathe. To them
the seal supplies food, oil for light and
warmth, skins for clothes, boots, utensils.
tents, and boats, sinews for thread and
lines, and membranes for garments and
window coverings. The oil is of superior
quality, and if prepared from the fresh
animals, is transparent, free from odor and
not unpleasant TO the taste.
The structure of the seal is most per
fectly adapted to an aquatic life, and they
live chiefly in water, but spend large
quantity of their time on shore reposing
and basking in the sunshine on rocks
sand-banks, ice-felds, or beaches. They
bring forth their young on shore. The
body Of the seal is elongated, and tapers
from the chest to the tail. The head
somewhat resembles that of dog, and in
most Of the species the brain is large.
The feet are short, and little more than
the paw projects beyond the skin Of the
body. All the feet are thoroughly web
bed and fiye-toed; the hind feet are direc.
ted backward like a prolongation of the
body, and between them is the short tail.
The toes, particularly those of the hind
feet, are capable Of being spread out very
widely in swimming, so as to give great
propulsiye power. The movements of
seals IN the water are very rapid and grace
tul. On land they are very peculiar; even
the fore-feet are little used, but the body
Is contracted by an upward bending of the
spine, and so thrown forward by series
Of jerks.
Charles Agassiz gives the following in
terestlng description of seal family life
"On the 18th we arrived at Jarvis Is
land, where we passed the afternoon on a
beach which was covered with large seals
As we approached they looked curiously
at us, and then waddled into the water.
remaining, however, in the surf. sometimes
coming up on the sand, sometimes rolling
over and over in the waves, PLAYING with
one another, rubbing their heads toghther
and indulging in endless gambOls and fun.
These creatures were quite tame, for we
found little family of them on land which
were not in the least disturbed by our
presence. \ mother had made a Kind Of
nursery for herself and her two little cubs
in green arbor formed by the low-grow-
ing branches of tree few yards from
the beach. Though they looked at US
with inquiring wonder, they were perfectly
uneOneerned at our approach; allowed US
TO sit down close by them and pat them,
and they would even smell of the bread
and crackers with which we tried to tempt
them to feed from our hands. It was
amusing to watch them in their home. the
little ones cuddling up to the mother, quar-
rniiluur for tho no.,-ast ,,ro-...~.a u -