The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-26
4 sNoK-WHIrR nEArKR
Aad the Value 70 RaentAnR Cattlemen or the
Dams nuilt By the BEAVERS.

Dams nuiit By the Beavers
81 believe l am the only white person that
ever trapped or killed an adult alhino beaver
said Thomas Gilroy. an eX.ranchman Of Mon.
tana. "Albino beavers are the rarest OF ami.
mails, and the only specimens / ever saw besides
the one I trapped were two cubs captured 10y
an Indian on Wind River moro than thirty
years ago. There were four young beavers in
tho nest this Indian secured. and two of them
were black. Tho mother of the litter was cap
turcd with them, and she was black. There is
another very rare beaver in the Northwest re-
gion. This Is the golden beaver, and bears tho
choicest of all fur. Tho golden beaver Is almost
as rnrc as tho white beaver. the albino being
merely n freak of nature, while the golden hea-
Yer is n species. This beaver was not known in
this country until about 1850, when the first
specimen was discovered in the Milk River re-
gion. Up to that time Siberia was supposed to
DO the animals only habitat.
II wasn't In the trapping business when |
caught the alb!no beaver, or perhaps l wouldn't
have had the chance to bag him and the thirty
four others l got along with him. l had heard
a good many wonderful stories about how
beavers chopped down trees, and. being anxious
to see how far from the truth some Of these
stories were, l found where beavers wero at
work In n piece OF cedar vvondS through which
u branch of tho Wind River flowed. / chose a
bright MOONLIGHT night to watch tho beavers at
their trec-chu pping. l hid myself before night.
fall near the spot. Soon after ~nightfall u beaver
came out of the water, went straight to n good
sized cedar tree, and began work upon 1t with
his teeth without "A moments delay. While he
was at work another beaver appeared from the
river. and as lie drew himself out of the water
to the bank where the moon shono full upon
him l saw thai he was ms white as snow. The
white beaver selected n tree and went vigor'
ously to work Telling 1t. l don't believe n
woodchoppCr with his axe could have fellcd
those trees any quicker than those two bea.
vcrs did with their chiscl-like tcoth.
Long before | had come into personal con-
tact with the beaver l had read in the books
that the beavers built dams for the purpose of
l began taking AN interest in beavers | found
that the book explanation was as ridiculous as
does not eat fish or flesh of any kind, but sub.
sists entirely on tender roots and barks, which
provide nutritious or hunger.allaying, qualities
when tho cold season Is at hand. 50 the beaver
builds dams to, provide against the pinch of
hunger during the winter. The instinct of the
beaver teaches him that these substances sub.
merged in water will keep green, fresh and
nutritious all winter long, so he selects a spot
where this food grows abundant near the shores
and dams the stream SO that the water will be
and cottonwoods and held there. Thus the
bark on them Is kept soft, juicy and tender,
and the beaver has his store of nutritious food
growth of such woods convenient for overflow.
Ing, the beaver cuts down willows, cotton.
woods or aBpens-tho cottonwood being the
favorite-floats them to the dam, sinks them IL
the bottom, fixes them there below the freezing
depth, and they Keep as fresh and tender as 4
they were growing on the banks and quickcned
by the spring sunshine and rains.
"As to the colony Of beavers that first AT
tracted my attention l watched it at its dam,
building, in the course of which the beavers
chopped down u good many, cedar trees. THAI
was all very interesting and instructive, but i
wasn't profitable TO the owner of the timber
whose agent l was, and. an my chief duty wa.
the quest of timber thieves, l concluded tina
here, were some we'll worth looking after, and
resolved to break up that colony without dc
lay. by inquiry among the trappers l learned
something about how they went to work Il
trap beavers. and ! set five traps in that col
seven consecutive nights, and the last beaver
caught was the big white one. ! sold the al
binO to an English tourist for $40 in gold.
The share l took in the work OF deponnlat
ing the Northwest of the beaver after that wa
considerable, but when ! got into the cattle
business l was sorry, and would gladly hav'
given back every dollar / received for thci
polts, and it would have made a big sum, if
could have put the beavers back again, for
found that, although the beaver wasn't wortl
as much as Il fat steer in money, there WASH
a cattleman In Montana that wouldn't give VI
beaver any day in the year., Just becaus'
the beavers were dam builders; That wonder
rnnchmen a little bit, nor had they any sen,i
Inent in their anxiety to protect the beaver
But water was a constant necessity on the cat
tie trails, in the dry climate of Montana espe
eially, where the streams and water holes ar
few and far between. There were more bca
vcrs In Mountaineering there are yet perhaps,
than anywhere else in the United states. b
building their dams wherever they might the,
caused the water supply to he boarded as 1
cattlemen, and to this day, while any othe
game or fur-bearing animal may be eNtcrmi
mated without a dissenting VOICE from them, tn
beaver Is assured of tho friendship and proteC
ton OF the rQnClnen.'