The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-12-27
n TAcr oF THE Beaver -
An Example Of tho Animals Remark-
able Intelligence and sneneity.

An Example Of tho Animals Homhrk-
able Intelligence and snrneity.
No animal is at more pains to have q
dry place to live IN, and none live on
coareer fare or show so much patience
and industry. His sagaoity and intel1-
gence are proverbial. An example
came under my notice while trout ash-
ing on a mountain stream a few years
ago. A young mau noticed a fresh
beaver dam near the house and coaxed
me to help him trap beaver. The dam
was of mud and alder brush and ran
across the creek, some Ave yards wide
at that point, with perpendicular banks
and bordered on each side with dry land
used as pasture land. We broke out
one end Of tho dam by an hours hard
work, and set our trap, using large
green alder bush for stake, which we
forced into the mud out in the pond as
far rs the chain would permit.
The next morning we found that tho
breBk IN the dam had been carefully re-
paired and our trap with the stake was
woven into the very bottom OF the break.
The repairs were 50 well done that 1t
took US about an hour to recover the
trap and we reset II In another place.
The same result followed for five nights
In succession. On the sixth night the
dam was repaired as usual, but about
the middle OF the dam was semi-oir-
cular groove cut through the we'll pack
ed bushes and mud forming the top,
true and smooth as no man could do it,
and lowering the water is the pond some
six OF eight inches, OF course, by so
much it relieved the pressure on the
dam.
The beaver concluded the dam was
too high for the strength Of his mater
ial (although the young man and myself
knew the fact to be decidedly otherwise)
and he made the pressure less in the
safest way. The trap cut no figure in
the experiment beyond its being attach
ed to ine green alder bush, just what
the beaver needed to repair with, and
SO he dug it up every night and dragged
il with the trap to the break and it was
for the first and easiest material he
could get hold of to help make his re-
pairs; the other bushes which he needed
to cut for repairs to the dam grew at
| quite distance from the creek.
Above the dam on this creek are
meadows and a gentleman In hunting
grouse was walking over them and was
startled at the sight of an animal com
ing toward him in path leading through
the tall grass that appeared like a little
old man. On better view he concluded
it was not human and shot it.
The animal turned out to be a very
old, gray-bearded beaver, which had
lost both OF his fore feet by steel traps,
and was now walking on his hind feet
and carrying few sticks in his stumps
Of arms and evidently trying to provide
| for his future subsistence. Intelligent
as beavers are If they could be domesti-
| Gated no animal would attract greater
interest. The instinct for dam building
might make him troublesome. But the
object of that labor Is to protect the en-
trance to his home from his enemies and
to provide place for his winters supply
of food, where he can use it IN safety and
below the reach of ice. When the ne
eessity no longer exists for this protee-
lion, in generation or two, it is likely
here would no longer be the desire for
| lam building