New-York tribune., 1902-12-19
A MAINE BEAVER COLONY.
Established at Fort Fairfeld-Dam Built at
Night by Them.

Rsngor Me Dec Is (SpeciaD.-Forestry Com
missioner Ring has returned from Fort Falrheid'
and reports that the people Of that town are hlghlS
elated over the fact that colony OF beaver has
established winter quarters on a brook on the
promises of Francis Mcdonald. within the limits
of the town and only mile from the cehtrat VII
Iage The beaver have built a dam on the brook
which runs across Mr.. McDonalds farm and have
made their houses. in which. probably they pro-
pose to pass the cold weather
The dam is sixty feet long. and the work has
heen done by these industrious and ingenious AMI
mails in the night time, when they are 1ree Honl
the gaze OF human beings. as they undoubtedly
imagine No animals that inhabit the woods OF
North America show so much skill and ingenuity
in the building of homes the beaver. Those now
located on McDonalds brook are sun at WoFk
completing their houses, and their coming 10 thaI
region is a matter of pleasure to the people for
miles around who come to view the dam and strive
to get a peep at the animals themselves. An old
traDper who is acquainted with the characteristics
of the beaver says there are twelve animals III the
colony He has watched them at their work IN the
night time and has carefully counted them many
times so that he is certain that the number at
work on the dam is an even dozen. The eyesght
of the beaver is by no means sharp. and they can
work by night as well as by day. Their sense OF
hearing and of smell, however. makes up for their
deficiency In sight
During the summer time beaver live IN rather a
hand to mouth way almost their only systeula tic
work being in the construction and repair or their
dams In a measure they abandon their winter
quarters and take up their homes In burrows in the
bank of stream. These burrows open into the
water at a considerable depth below the surface
Under the roots OF a large tree. where the bank is
nearly perpendicular is favorite place The bur
rows are usually about twelve feet in length. and
descend gradually to within few inches Of the
surface where they terminate in a chamber, often
under the of tree as to give security ana
ventilation at the time.
In building the dam and digging the burrows the
bea Yer work together in crews but whether one IS
he boss or ch animal works his own initiative
is MOI known In fact there is no animal known TO
stood a beaver will sink a stick of wood into the
water but no human hand can do IL. say rapperS
who have tried il. The bark of the willow, poplar
and birch forms their principal food although this
is varied extent by roots and grasses. In
some localities the bark of the white birch Is the
most common beaver food. 1t is the inner
not the outer or papeTlike bark. upon which they
feed To obtain this, tree is too large for them
to cell Not infrequently, some gravel bar in Il
river NAV be hundreds OF little sticks, about
the size and length of ordinary leadpenctl. all
freshly peeled, the remains of some beavers noe
turnal feast. -. ~. ,-.s =, !
are not the colony that had dam and house at
Caribou and whose wonderful works attracted
much attention last year Some miScreant blew up
the Caribou beaver dam with dynamite, and scat
tered the colony but within the last month the
beaver exileS have returned and patched up their
wrecked habitations. The people of Fort r air
field and Caribou fond of these beaver colonies.
and the next man who attempts to injure the
clever little animals will be in danger of rough
usage. Beaver protected in Maine by per-
petual close time.