to make him comfortable. When he had fully recovered, the entire
company headed for Old Park, once famous on account of the immense
numbers of beavers found there. Disappointment, however, awaited
them, for other trappers had preceded them, and made such thorough
work that it was useless for the last arrivals to unload and set
their traps.

The party visited other sections but in every instance they
appeared to be "a day too late for the fair;" the beaver runs had
been worked so thoroughly by others that it was useless for them
to expect success.

The beaver, as the reader probably knows, aside from its great value
in producing fur and perfume, possesses a most wonderful instinct.
They live in communities and prefer to build their houses by small
clear rivers and creeks or close to springs. Sometimes they are
found on the banks of lakes.

The dams which they construct with the skill of a professional
civil engineer, are built for the purpose of making sure of a full
supply of water at all times and seasons. These dams are composed
of stones, mud and tree branches, the base being ten or twelve feet
in thickness sloping gradually upward to the summit.

In building their dams, the beaver does not thrust the ends of the
stakes into the bed of the river, but lays them down horizontally,
holding them in place by piling mud and stones upon them. The logs
which compose the dams are mostly from six to eight inches in
diameter, though some have been found nearly two feet through. The
enormous number of such logs used may be imagined perhaps, when