canals, of any length he pleases, to float logs and billets of
wood from hinterland to pond.

If you are locating beavers in your own zoo, and are wise, you can
induce beavers to build their dam where you wish it to be. This is
how we did it!

We dug out a pond of mud in order that the beavers might have a
pond of water; and we wished the beavers to build a dam forty feet
long, at a point about thirty feet from the iron fence where the
brook ran out. On thinking it over we concluded that we could
manage it by showing the animals where we wished them to go to
work.

We set a l2-inch plank on its edge, all the way across the dam
site, and pegged it down. Above it the water soon formed a little
pool and began to flow over the top edge in a very miniature
waterfall. Then we turned loose four beavers and left them.

The next morning we found a cart-load of sticks and fresh mud
placed like a dam against the iron fence. In beaver language this
said to us:

"We would rather build our dam here,--if you don't mind. It will
be easier for us, and quicker."

We removed all their material; and in our language that action
said: "No; we would rather have you build over the plank."

The next night more mud and sticks piled against the fence said to