The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-23
BEAVERS IN MAINE
ARE STILL THRIVING.
Aquatic Engineer n FIOurishing In
habitant of the Streams.


habitant of the Streams.
In spite of all the destruction by
poachers and the cutting off of the
forests in many sections, the Maine
beaver continues to thrive, says a dis
patch from Bangor, Me-, to the Chi
cago Inter Ocean, and of late years
he has been remarkably busy in the
construction of dams and snug win
ter quarters, the work in some places
being of such magnitude and so clev-
erly done that people have Travelled
miles to see and admire it. At Carl
large dam. and were just completing
their houses when some miscreant de-
stroyed the entire works and killed
many of the animals by the explosion
of heavy charge Of dynamite in the
stream. The beavers that survived
were neither alarmed nor discouraged,
however but set Immediately to- work,
rebuilding the dam and the little
houses, so that in a few weeks the
coloney was better prepared than be-
fore for the long seige of winter.
The townspeople were enraged at
destruction of the dam and have of
men who exploded the dynamite, while
several citizens have gone so far as to
threaten to shoot the first man caught
injuring or interfering in any way
with the furry home-builders, which
are regarded with affection by all the
people there.
An Arostook county man who has
spent hi slife in the woods and knows
all about beavers speaks thus inter
- - mir a tHThp
beaver is a native of North America.
In some other countries there are an
imals that resemble them, but their
numbers are limited and their works
are insignificant compared with those
of the American beaver. All over this
country, from the Great Lakes to the
Gulf of Mexico. and from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, the works of the beaver
are found, the little animals still ex-
listing in many states. They are very
prolific. and, if undisturbed by their
natural enemy-man-their numbers
increase very rapidly.
"The red man was, and is yet, the
greatest enemy of the beaver. The In
dams believe that the flesh of the beav-
err. when cooked and eaten, will pro
long life, and they will go long dis
tances to hunt the animals The White
hunter comes next and kills vast num-
bers every year for the fur. When I'M
disturbed in wooded country the ami
mails multiply rapidly and build so
many dams that the timber on large
tracts of land is killed by the over
flow of water thus caused
Some thirty years ago the Unlted
States government removed the Bad
Water Indians, who then resided in
the northern part of Michigan, to a
reservation in the far West. Seven
wears afterward l Travelled over the
old hunting grounds with a surveying
marty and was surprised to see the de-
struction that had been caused by peaV-
ers in the big timber all through that
section.
"The lunnbermen hate beavers, and [
am told that a movement is now be-
ing made by the land owners in Name
To have them destroyed. They not only
kill the growing timber, but their dams
obstruct the streams and brooks down
which the logs are driven. l have help
ed TO cut away the dams and clear
a.way the houses that INSTRUCTED some
streams. and returning three weeks
later found the dams and houses
rebuilt. and the streams again full OF
brush. -.
mud. sticks, stones and the green
branches of trees. The beavers DO not
nee their tails for trowels, as some
yx,ould have us believe; the mud is car
ried between the chin and paws. They
cannot make stick lie at the bottom
of pond unless they load 1t with
stones and mud, and then 1t OFTEN gets
away from them and comes to the sur
face again. They cannot make trees
fall in any direction they chooses; but,
&C most of the trees along the bank
lean toward the stream they will nat
nrally fall into the water when gnawed
off. a.,
"Neither do the beavers live IN one
Mace always. When the white birch,
willow and other trees on which they
feed begin to get scarce the colony
after tearing a hole in the DAM VIII
ashland. This always happens in the
spring time. One visiting the deserted
works will see the bottom of the emp
~ pond covered with short peeled
sticks. and the round hole In each
house. near the bottom OF the steam
that was used for a door. Go along
up stream, and you viii see several
holes IN the bank, in which the beaver