New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-08-23

alder in its mouth to be used. no doubt IN some
repairing of it's dam. Having read that the beaver
was very near-sighted. he hoped. II he remained
motionless. 10 be taken for OF the stunnps be-
low the dam, although the moonlight was so bright
and the beaver so near that his eyes could be
plainly Evidently the story Of the near-sight-
edness had not been exaggerated. for the beaver
took alarm Then the Industrious dam builder
began TO climb out upon the crest OF the dam.
dragging his huge and hairless tail and slancins
along 1t as II TO determine where the stick which
he carried would do the most good At this critical
moment. when the eager watcher felt that he ras
just about learn the exact methods Of these
derful architects of wild, stick In the slowly
settling mud beneath his feet broke with soft,
hick-muffed snap So soft was the sound that is
barely reached the Observers ears. To the marvel
lorsly sensitive ears Of the beaver, however II was
a warning more than sufficient II was noisy
proclamation OF peril Swift shaft OF light
the beaver dropped his stick and dived head first
into the pond As he vanished his broad hat, naked
tail hit the water with cracking slap which 70
sounded over the pond like a pistol shot II wa
re-echoed by four or five more splashes from the
upper portion OF the pond" So that was an END
of observation at that time.
later inspection Of the dam resulted IN this de-
scription The long upper slope Of the dam was
smoothly and thoroughly faced with clay. SO tnas
none of its framework showed through saws marc
and there the butt of sapling. perhaps three or
four inches In diameter. which proclaimed the sol"
idity Of the foundation The lower face. On ths
other hand was all inexplicabls interiacins OF
sticks and poles, which seemed az nrst Kianos
heaped together at haphazard- On examination,
however the observer found that every piece vss
woven In SO firmly among it's fellows that II took
some effort to it. The more he studied tns
structure the more his admiration grew. and MS
aUnreciation OF the reasoning 1nteI1gence OF us
builders and he smiled TO himself little con-
troversiaI smile as he thought how inadequats Tnat
men call instinct would be TO such a piece OF WORK
as this But what impressed him most as rnalA
OF engineering skill and sound calculation on ths
part of the pond people, was the direction IN WHICH
the dam was laid At either end where the wafer
VS. shoal the dam was straight, but where It
crossed the main channel Of the brook and required
the greatest strength it had a pronounced up"aI'
curve to help it resist the trend of the current
OF the work of the beavers in cutting down trees
to feed on the bark and leaves and use the WOOD
in dam and house building, the writer says; ne
found trees of every size. to two feet IN dam
eter clearly felled and stripped Of their branches
With two or three exceptons-probably the WOlA
of young beavers unskilled in their art-the trees
were felled unerrngly IN direction OF the water
so as TO minimize the labor of dragging down the
cuttings He found the cutting done pretty
evenly all around the tree, but somewhat lo"e1
and deeper on the side next 20 the water N Ni1'H
the cut was less than that which good aXeliaH
would make-because the teeth of a beaver are
more frugal cutting instrument than the WOOos-
mans axe. making possible straight anu ie0'
wasteful cut"
This description is given Of the way the beavers
work: THE two beavers engaged in cutting dow
the tree sit erect upon their launches suppollSe
by their huge tails chiselling industrfousiy eu,s
two deep grooves. one about six or elsht Al0I
perhaps above the other; they would then "Ie
off the chips with their teeth and forepe"s' JeiA
ing their powerful necks with kind OF mp
tience" OF work in dam building the foiio"ins
account is given: while the building was So
on yet another pair of beavers appeared ana .,'
work was pressed with feverish energy 'nat - p
duced amazing results. The observer reinsin0ol
a story told him by an old Indian. but not con-
hrrned In any natural history which ne hao 80 80
across to the effect that when pair OF 49,
beavers out 20 establish new pond sOle
the old ones go along lend a hand in the oonils
of the dam He concluded 20 his own satistaetlon
that what he watching was the ahdlO9u0s
beaver life. to of those house raislhs 80 80
which sometimes took place In the se''en,
when the neighbors would come together 70 hep
man get up the frame of a new house OhiS' a.
seemed to him. the beavers were more sei
and more sober folk than the men
Another recent writer on the work OF beaver
describes the skill shown in the construction .,
dam in Wisconsin and asks his readers 70 49, -
whether animals can do work OF that 50 $50
mere instinct OF whether they work with hsnS ,
kind of intelligence. He further says; Ins -
four-footed engineers seem 20 have nrst eonStIeo
kind Of trial dam hundred feet further oo
strear, They abandoned this site, as far as
could nudge because il was right in an aidef
thicket where II was difficult 10 work woefe O-
little ready made material was al hand ana 49, -
their pond would not have Enclosed or aep'Oa
their favorite food trees the poplsrs- The perhA
nent dam was located the edge OF haiai
clearing. where the conditions for work tes''
building material and food supply were most tas'
able The animals must have expended
large amount of energy in building the dam 90
tinated that il would have taken strong n@1
six days to duplicate their structure"