Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-09
Aunt Dorothy's Letter

Park and the Zoo you, ike myself, nave
probably found as much pleasure in watch
ing the beavers at work in their little dam
as anything else that there is to be seen.
If you should come upon a colony of bea-
vers-or a beaver works. as old trappers
call the land and water occupied by a col
ony of beavers-the little fellows would dis
appear In an instant and you might hide
away and watch for them under cover for
ever so long and not catch the least sign of
a beaver.
The reason for this is that the beaver
has been hunted so much for his fur that
he regards man as his great enemy. He
therefore keeps entirely out of sight when
II is likely that a man is around. This
causes him to do all of his work at night.
1t is we'll known that beaver will do three
times as much work In a dark, rainy or
foggy night as during night when the
sky is clear and the moon shines bright.
This is not because the beaver see bet
ter in the dark than in the light, but be-
cause he has a feeling of greater safety
when he cannot be seem
The feature about the beaver that at
tracts the grea test interest is his large,
broad. fiat tail, without fur or hair of any
kind and covered with scales. 1t was for
merly thought that he used this tail as
q kind of troweI or shovel by which to
sist in building his dam and houses, but
1t now appears that he employs it for no
such purpose at all
The beaver uses his tail chiefly to as
sist him in standing upright or partially
upright while feeding at work. 1t also
assists him in diving and as a rudder in
guiding his course through the water.
Again, he uses it at night sometimes. when
he can't be seen himself to brighten away
his enemies by striking it upon the water
and splashing the latter upon everything
and everybody for long way around. and
making a noise writer that is
calculated to cause one hearing it for the
first time to almost iuU1D out of his skin.
1t sounds, he says. like the side of a two
story house falling Into the water
The teeth of the beaver. by which he is
enabled to fell the largest tree IL need be,
are another great wonder both on account
of their form and the manner in which
they are fitted in their mouths for use,
The outer or free end consists of thin
scale of hard enamel. while the body of the
tooth is composed of softer dentine- The
extreme end is of chsel-like shape, and
from the cutting edge inward the soften
ing of the substance is graduated. Use
wears away the softer material much more
rapidly than the hard enamel. The conse-
quence is that the chisel-shaped end is
always preserved. and not only this, but
the cutting edge is kept as sharp car
penter's chisel fresh from the oil stone
During the summer the beavers live in
rather hand-to- month way, about their
only systematic work being the conStruc-
ton and repair of their dams. 1t is easy
to get food for subsistence.
The latest observations of naturalists
show that while the beaver provides very
efficient means for protecting his life and
laying up stores of food for winter, he
does not by any means select the best
places methods for saving himself work,
making his dams~and houses the most
secure. PerhapS~when he worked IL the
best light he did this but being driven to
work for the most part in the dark, we
have before seen. he selects insecure places
and does very poor work very often when
he could easily do very much better.
While the beaver takes ii somewhat easy
during the summer. as soon as Ice appears
or there are signs of the approach of win
ter, he more than redoubleS his eff, rts in
laying in stores of food for the long dark
cold days and nights
1t is not easy for the trapper to catch the
beaver for the latter has learned many of
the ways of the former for ensnaring him
Still thousands of the poor creatures are
caught every year for their fur. Like other
fur-bearng animals, they are getting
scarcer and Scarcer every year, and ways
are being taken to prevent them from be
coming extinct.
habits of the beaver do so. 1t will not only
be interesting but most profitable.
Children, remember that having your
name the roll of honor does not mean
that you are to receive prizes or honor
badges. That is another matter altogether
The names the roll of honor those
of children to whom credit and thanks are
given for their pleasant letters, stories
drawings. etc.
Aunt Dorothys little girl is well again
and wishes to thank Vera Cone for the
violets she so kindly sent her.
Yours sincerely,
DOROTHY DAY.