Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-05-01
From the New Y York Observer. s.
onderful Instinct oY the
& Beaver. i

Beaver. il
Ofail things connected with sho instinct
.of fapimals there Ia nothing more interesting
sbah the habits 5of the beaver, and esper
cially his construction Of bis dwelling place.
This creature is. oalled an amphibious ami.
NAL, living as IL does on land and water as
we'll. Its average length Is from &wo to
three feet, having thick, heavy body, aud
fiat, broad tail, covered with scales This
tail is used as raider to steor by whom
under water, aud ia bulldog, as a mason
would uso trowel, which in shape it
somewhat resembles. We're you to exam
ine the feet Of the beaver, you would fnd
membranes between the toes of the hind
feet, none on the fore feet, which assists
him, no doubt, ia his peculiar kiad Of work.
During the mouths of June and July
the beavers assemble In great numbers from
all quarters for the purpose of uniting into
q society, sometimes forming troop Of
from two to threo hundred, for tho purpose
of building q oityl After they have thus
assembled, they go about with all the foro.
sight Of the shrewdest land speculator to
fnd suitable place for settlement, whioh
is always upon tho bank Of the river. If
at the place they have selected the waters
are flat, the beaver never makes dam; but
ittho stream 10 subject to rising or falling,
they build dam from ono side Of the river
to the other, often extending over distance
Of from eighty to one hundred feet, and ten
or twelve broad at its base. This pile, for
creatures 80 small, is almost Incredible.
But the substantial manner in which they
build their work is a greater subject for
wonder. & G
If'they find a large tree on the margin Of
tho river which they believe would be made
TO fall across it, they proceed at once to out
it down. And how do you think they
accomplish this7 by guuwing at the buttom
with their four outing teeth, and in on
incredibly short time they. accomplish their
purpose, even though it may be as largo as
mans bodyl Aud what is,most singular,
they always gnaw it in such way as to
make it fall across, or so that they can float
it to the spot where they intend to fix their
abode. They next gnaw off tho branches
teeth of tho whole community arc in request.
orders of life teach US reasoning beings in
the service they render each otherl Some
hunt the banks Of the river for small trees
which they cut down, and make stakes of
them, dragging them by land to the margin
of the river, aud after getting them we'll
afoat, jump on themselves and tow them
down to tho place of their destination. You
have no idea Of tho difficultios they have to
surmount in doing this. Some of the
beavers must elevate tho thick ends against
the margin of the river, while others, under
the water, arc digging holes in tho bottom
with their foro feet to receive their sharp
ends. Others bring earth in their mouths
or fore feet, which they use to fill up the
spaces between the stakes, and beat firm
with their tails! They usually place these
stakes in rows, opposite each other, and Of
equal height, too!
After tho dam is complotcd--which is
tho common property of the community, as
it has bcsa bull. by the united efforts of all
they separate iato gmaler societies and
build .hoir private residences! These are
arranged with two openings, one overlooking
tho water, from which they can get the
cool air and occasionally bath; the other
overlooking the land. They are in form
either round or oval and vary in size all the
way from four to teu foot in diameter
Some Of them consist of three or four stories!
The walls are about two feet thick and are
raised perpendicularly upon plain stakes,
which serve for foundation and floors. The
rooflis ;conioal, and tho whole is plastered
inside and out in neat, strong aud durable.
manner, with mixture Of mud, clay and
sand-which this ingenious little creature
knows veil how to mix and temper with
his paws or feet, and uso with great deal
of dextcrity with his trowel shaped toll, for
which he certainly ought to have an exclu-
sive patont! Can you believe that these
creatures could build house so strong and
go snug as to be perfectly impervious to the
most pelting storm, putting them at deGanceT
While they are building, as soon as any
part of the material is placed where it is to
60, they turn around and give it sharp
blow with their tail! This work ia all per-
formed at night and with great rapidity.
In the autumn they cover the outside of
their dwelling with mud, and after frost
comes, it freezes and becomes as hard as
stone.
The beavers store their bark for food 10
their houses, just as the farmer docs his
corn, oaoh apartment having it's own store.
house, SO that they shall not intrude upon
each others rights. They exhibit great
sagasity in tho ohoico Of their wood, pro.
ferring the poplar or willow, both on
account Of the lightness Of the wood and the
sweetness Of tho bark United 10 common
labor, they are very industrious and very
pcaoeablo, having great aversion to q
quarrel ofany sort. They roar their families
about the last Of February, and whilo the
mothers arc engaged looking after the
young, :he males arc rowing about in search
of food. They return once in awhile to