Original - North Central Michigan College Library

in procuring food. At two years old they partand build houses of their own, but often roveabout for a considerable time before they fixupon a spot. There are beavers called by theIndians old bachelors, who live by themselves,build no houses, and work at no dams, butshelter themselves in holes. The usual methodof taking these is by traps, formed of iron orlogs, and baited with branches of poplar.According to the Indians the beaver is muchgiven to jealousy. If a strange male approachesthe cabin a battle immediately ensues. Ofthis the female remains an unconcerned spectator,careless to which party the law of conquestmay assign her. Among the beaverwhich we killed those who were with me pretendedto show demonstrations of this fact,some of the skins of the males, and almost allof the older ones, bearing marks of violence,while none were ever to be seen on the skinsof the females.The Indians add that the male is as constantas he is jealous, never attaching himself to.more than one female; while the female on herside isalways fond of strangers.The most common way of taking the beaveris that of breaking up its house, which is donewith trenching tools during the winter, whenthe ice is strong enough to allow of approachingthem, and when, also, the fur is in its mostvaluable state.Breaking up the house, however, is only a127