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Show tie Ways otmgi the BdQ&mBw By vS.TSL XJDEdK I JT" HILE on a camping trip at the head- Y If waters of Atlantic and Thoroughfare lkll Creeks, northeast of the Jackson's Hole iVVAwaL. country in Wyoming, during the sum-mer sum-mer f liacl some great opportu nisms?? nities of studying the habits of beaver. qf'i&''' J I have always been an interested student stu-dent of this clever little animal's ways, but while in the hills I had never before had the leisure to stay among them that I enjoyed on this outing. At that time the following gentlemen were with me: F. L. Cuthb3rt and son of Lima, Ohio; J. M. Hill of Fond du Lac, Wis., and Fred Lovejoy. Wo were on a fishing and general pleasure trip over Idaho and Wyoming, camping where-1 ever the feed and fishing were good, and resting when, how and where we felt like it. In the country above mentioned we found many beaver; in fact, where-ever where-ever there was sufficient water, beaver beav-er had taken possession of It. All small streams were dammed up by them, and in one- place we saw a beaver industriously fixing up the dam, while five ducks were near him looking on. In another place we saw a beaver, probably the old daddy, swimming in a pond, who, on seeing us, slapped the water with its broad, flat tail, making a sound much like a rifle shot. Tbe other beaver, curious to be doing something, were out on the bank cutting willows, but on hearing hear-ing the danger signal, which probably said, "Hey, you kids, out of there!" came tumbling into the water till six were swimming before us. Beaver live in families, the two old beavers, two yearlings and two kits. The young, two in number, are born about April and stay at home until about two years of age, when they set up housekeeping on their own account. ac-count. They move to some other locality. lo-cality. If a small stream, they proceed pro-ceed to build a dam to get greater depth of water. If the banks are rocks or not suitable for holes, they build a house. The water must be of sufficient depth so it will not freeze solid in winter, as the entrance to the house or holo in bank Is under water. The floor of their living room is about three inches above water, and is carpeted with white sticks slit up a little coarser than excelsior. There is always an opening above the living room for fresh aii This Is partly closed or concealed by sticks laid across it. , As the pond freezes over in the winter, the beaver must provide themselves them-selves with sustenance to last them through the long winter. This is called their cache and is always situated sit-uated near where they live and consists con-sists of willows, quaking aspen or Cottonwood anchored under water. They cut these late in the fall and place them in this cache, so when the pond freezes' over they can get to them. Cutting off a small piece, they take it to their living room and peel it, eating the bark only. This is their winter's food. The sticks after be- 'v .4 : .-. :',. ..':..'. : .. ... " . ft , ? 1 f? f: ';:"' : "... . ,' ; .. .... . "I " 1 " CUTTINGS MADE BEFORE AND AFTEJ2 THE SNOW lng peeled are taken away where they lie on the bottom of the pond. In putting up the cache they all work. If small willows are used the old ones cut and place them in little piles (armfuls), the young beaver carrying them to the water and then running with them to the cache. And if Cottonwood Cot-tonwood or trees, they first cut them down by cutting all around them, If of large size, letting them fall where they may. They then cut off all limbs and cut the trunks up into suitable lengths to handle, and drag all to the water and then float them to their cache. From my observation the limit lim-it in size that a beaver can cut is about 24 inches. They can cut out a chip about four Inches long, cutting it off at bottom and top and splitting it out very much as a man does with an ax. In this way they can cut a scarf about 12 inches in height and back into the trunk of the tree about 12 inches, all the way around. Then if the tree leans considerably, It will of course break some, or when the wind comes up it will blow down, but I have seen trees with so much center cen-ter left that they remained standing, though cut into to the beavers' limit. iAM4AU4IaA4AUA4U4441iAsAtSAtAsAt J I WELL-BWJLT EEA VBS HOUSE In building a dam they first place coarse brush in the stream, allowing allow-ing the water to run through till a good lot of brush is In place cleat across the stream They then begin working in fine! brush, and lastly mud, till the 6truc ture is water-tight And another pecu Har fact about the work of these anl mals: If a beavei places the branch of a tree or willow in the water 11 Binks, if he sc wishes, while 11 you should place 11 there, It floats This is a secret apparently knowr only to the beaver. I believe the beaver live more llk humans in their domestic life thai any other animal, and though then may be no marriage ceremony, theli domestic life is just as sacred. Ant yet, with all their wisdom, they art easily rapped, for by taking advan tage of their weakness or customs by placing a handful of soft mu from the bottom of the pond upon thi bank and placing a few drops of I certain kind of scent upon it, even beaver that passes near will go to it and If the trap is well placed, the; are sure to get caught. For some years there has been i closed season on beaver in the stat of Wyoming. They are multiplying very fast an( reappearing in all their old haunts and I am glad to see it; but I deplori the fact that the law is not nion strictly enforced. I hate to see a la? to conserve the game abused a la? that the honest man will recognizt and obey, but so poorly enforced tha the poacher and unlawful party ge all the benefit. |