Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-08-04
Beavers aud Their Dwellings.

Beavers aud Their Dwellings.
During the last days Of September.
1866. the writer was making q solitary
excursion eastward of Frascr's Lake.
British Columbia. he pitched a small
cotton tent NEAR shallow lake. n tho
end Of the first DAY, journey. in order
TO protect himself from mosquitoes. and
not to shield himself from the weather.
Early in the frosty morning he was
awakened by strang" series IF sharp.
'slapping reports. somc~ha like the
cracking Of an oX-whip. which arose in
the air from the immediate vicinity.
Crawling. rife in hand. cautiously out.
he quickly located the origin of the
noises and then suspected the cause; the
rife was laid aside. the note book sub
stituted and the cxpcctant writer care
fully and silently approached the little
arm of the lake over which the odd
noises sprsng from: pcering through the
thick tall fringe of flag-rushr> which
lined the waters edge. he saw in the
misty, hoary morning light colony of
beavers in full and animated hustle over
the erection of Il winter house. while
their fat, scaly tails cheerfully smote the
earth and waters surface ever and anon.
Four beavers were engaged; they had
selected tiny peninsula Of the lake;
eight feet back from the water nearest
edge the foundations of their circular hut
were solidly laid. they were piling up
their sticks, tree trunks. mud and stones.
mud treading all together when they fell
tff.t,N .,I
thus for more than half an hour longer
until the rising sun shimmered upon
them full and fair; then they suddenly
plunged into the water to reappear no
more that day. They had. with true
.beaverly sagacity, sought the privacy and
safety Of their 'bank washes" elsewhere
until night should again welcome them
out to safe feeding and to finish their
happy house-building.
The beaver selects point, according
TO the character of the ground. between
live and fifteen feet from water which
never freezes to the bottom during Sc
we're winters, or else it raises a dolae
from the submerged flats which it mum
dates by damming small streams at ju-
diciOus intervals, so as to have q free
waterway all through the coolest wealth
or. The beavers have. during the sum-
mer and early fall. cut 4 large number
Of poplar and birch tree-trunks aud
branches into sections OF some two or
three feet in length each; their sharp
teeth work very Lluch like the girdling
strokes made by the Impractical hand OF
. boy or woman when they essay chop
ping. These pieces OF timber are towed
.and carried by the giant rodents to the
selected site OF their proposed residence
The beavers begin work by common
impulse. and lay this timber Of their own
cutting in circular. ''criSs-cross' and
horizontal fashion. piling mud. smaller
sticks, drft-wOod and stones over. under
and between these larger sections of
wood, until they have reared conical
dome some five to seven feet in height
from the building level, and the walls
varying in thickness from two to four
feet. according to the instructive UNDER
standing which these animals always
have IS to the ensuing winter being
warmer or colder. When they labor.
these building parties are usually made
up of four old beavers 1.-TWO male and
two females), and the inclosed dome is
just large enough to accommodate them
together with their six or eight young
ones
AS they work they place most of their
timber horizontally, save tho outside
slabs and pieces; they preserve no other
order than that of leaving the cavity in
the middle; the branches which happen
to project perceptibly inward and beyond
the walls arc gnawed smoothly off. and
the clipped ends, chips, ETC., are thrown
up and out upon the rising structure.
All the materials, sticks, mud, ct cetera.
are mixed up together in the composition
OF the dome from the foundation TO the
summit.
The constant pattering of the beavers
feet settle and cement the work a. it
rises; there is no troweling of the mass
by their queer paddle-shaped tails, so
suggestive of the action and use; but
occasionally. the castor seems to be so
hilarious or self-delighted that it pauscs
for moment in its busy labor to hump
it's back and bring the tail down with 4
sharp ringing slap upon the mud, or
sticks. or water. rs the case may be.
The amusing stories told Of the use
made of the beavers caudle extremity
as sort of stone and mud drag or cart
are not founded on fact. Castor carries
all the OOze. pebbles, ETC., which he uses
In building his walls by holding these
materials between his throat and fore
paws.
When the hut has been reared to the
desired altitude and arched over, the
exterior rOughness is somewhat smoothcd
down by the addition of numerous and
repeated thin cOatings of mud, which
serve as dampener, keeping the entire
mass wet and moist until the cold wealth
or sets in and congeals the dome into q
structure almost invulnerable even to a
pickaxe or blasting powder.
The door. and it is the only opening or
means of entrance or exit, is u subma-
rine passage or tunnel from the lake bot
tom to the center of the floor of the hut;
near the mouth of this watery hall these
Venetian architects usually have a large
pile Of green timber Cut, as before speci-
fed. during the summer and fall, which
they sink by stones and Snud, SO rs to
rest upon the bottom, and be accessible
At any aud all times during the winter
a. q source Of food supply. The floor of
the d0micile is sometimes covered with
acarpet Of pine stipules. leaves. ETC., and
then again is not softened in its earthly
hardness whatever.
This cottage of the beaver. If not dis
turbed by enemies, will be kept in repair
and used by many generations of the
cGstorido. and thus the simple details of
its construction. as we set them forth,
undoubtedly raise in the furry architects
mind the same pleasurable anticipations
which we ourselves indulge when we
plan and build home with abundant
means for SO doing. Prof: Elliott. in Our
Continent.
The Smallest Baby Alive.