lakes, for they swim much

32 ECLECTIC SERIES.
more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the
water.
5. When they build on the bank of a running stream, they
make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the
water at the height they wish.
6. These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and
the branches of trees. They are sometimes six or seven
hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look
more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts.
7. Their huts are made of the same material as the dams,
and are round in shape. The walls are very thick, and the
roofs are finished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and
leaves.
8. They commence building their houses late in the
summer, but do not get them finished before the early frosts.
The freezing makes them tighter and stronger.
9. They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by
gnawing through the branches of trees, and even through the
trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth. They peel
off the bark, and lay it up in store for winter food.

THIRD READER. 33
10. The fur of the beaver is highly prized. The men who
hunt these animals are called trappers.
11. A gentleman once saw five young beavers playing.
They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver
dam, and would push one another off into the water.