"
"And what do the beavers make dams with, nurse?"
"With small trees cut into pieces, and drawn in close to each other; and
then the beavers fill the spaces between with sods, and stones, and clay,
and all sorts of things, that they gather together and work up into a
solid wall. The walls are made broad at the bottom, and are several feet
in thickness, to make them strong enough to keep the water from washing
through them. The beavers assemble together in the fall, about the months
of October and November, to build their houses and repair their dams. They
prefer running water, as it is less likely to freeze. They work in large
parties, sometimes fifty or a hundred together, and do a great deal in a
short time. They work during the night."
"Of what use is the dam, nurse?"
"The dam is for the purpose of securing a constant supply of water,
without which they could not live. When they have enclosed the
beaver-pond, they separate into family parties of eleven or twelve,
perhaps more, sometimes less, and construct dwellings, which are raised
against the inner walls of the dam. These little huts have two chambers,
one in which they sleep, which is warm and soft and dry, lined with roots
and sedges and dry grass, and any odds and ends that serve their purpose.
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