A CANADIAN BEAVER.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Perhaps some of your readers may be interested in the story of Buff,' a Canadian beaver. 'Buff' was caught in a trap at Lovesick Lake, Peterborough County, Ontario, in 1863. He was then a very fine young beaver about eighteen months old, and very little hurt, having been caught by two of the fingers of his left hand. I say "hand" because they use their paws as the squirrel does, handling everything before putting it in the mouth. 'Buff' was soon quite tame, so that the trappers could stroke and pat him, and he seemed to like it very much. They gave him some bread for breakfast which he ate with satisfaction, signifying that he wanted more by making a sniffing sound, accom- panied by a plaintive cry. After he was satisfied he made his toilet as a cat would, and then went to sleep on a blanket. When camp was broken up 'Buff' was taken to a farmhouse, the home of one of the trappers, and put into a closet to spend the first night. But at about 11 o'clock he got restless and went upon an exploring expedition, cutting his way through the door into the kitchen, and thence wander- ing all over the lower part of the house. It was easy to trace his trail, as tell-tale signs in the shape of chairs and tables minus a leg, perhaps two, were strewn in every direction. He was shut up again, but cut his way out once more ; this time, being beaten with a small switch, be thundered upon the floor with his tail, uttering a very pitiful cry. As it was quite evident that he could not be kept in the house, a small stone house was built for him in the yard, and he was thenceforth kept there at night, while he had full liberty daring the day. He was very fond of bread, and it was always pleasant to hear his sounds of satisfaction after he had eaten. After eating he would dress his whiskers and coat, not permitting the least trace of his meal to be found upon him. 'Buff' was quite an attraction in the neighbour- hood, and numbers of people came to see him. He liked this little attention, as he was always sure of a liberal supply of bread, because his visitors were curious to see him eat it. There was a small pond of water about two hundred feet from the house, and the boys used to take him to it daily ; first, however, having fastened a small rope around each hind-foot. '
Buff' would plunge in headlong and swim under water till he came to the end of his tether, when he would come to the
surface and swim quickly back to the shallow water, where he would sit and wash himself, using his hands in rematching, rubbing, and arranging his coat and whiskers. He would then leave the water and sit upon the bank, where he would carefully comb himself until not the least trace of dust remained upon his superb coat. He became so accustomed to this routine that it was not necessary for the boys to accompany him to his bath, as he could be trusted anywhere, although they always went for him, as he absolutely refused to come home alone, much preferring company upon this part at least of his daily ran. When the autumn came little Buff' began to grow restless and uneasy. Perhaps some instinct told him that the long cold winter of the Canadian backwoods was approaching, and he, seeing that he had no wood to build a warm, snug house, longed for his wild home on the little lake with his bothers, away from civilisation and the haunts of men. He walked aimlessly about most of the day, eating carelessly, not with his usual gusto. A large sugar kettle was sunk in the ground, and filled with water so as to make a small artificial pond for him. He was also given a quantity of his favourite poplar wood. He at once saw what this meant, and set to work, cutting the wood into pieces about two feet long, setting them on end, resting against the upper rim of the kettle. He picked up even the smallest pieces and set them neatly in place. When he had built the framework of quite a large house he took mouthfuls of earth, and with it stopped all holes and cracks, making his house frostproof. He seemed to receive new life when his work was completed, and at once exhibited a keen interest in everything about the place. Before long the first snow fell, and ' Buff ' sought the friendly shelter of his house, where he spent the long winter. When spring returned he exhibited the same uneasy feeling that he had shown in the fall, and seemed to be possessed by a longing for his old home and familiar haunts. It had been his habit to cut any wood given to him into lengths of about two feet, so that they just fitted the great kitchen stove, and in this way he had saved the boys a great deal of hard work. One evening the boys gave him an extra large supply of wood, and he seemed to be unusually delighted. The next morning they found that he had been so with good reason. When all was quiet in the night 'Buff' had worked continuously, and piling his short sticks high enough for him to reach the top of the fence, he had regained his liberty and returned to his brothers. Erroneous ideas in regard to the habits of beavers are common. The beaver does not use his tail as a trowel in building his dam or, later, in building his house; neither does he use his tail as a rudder, nor sleep with it in the water to ascertain if the water is rising or falling in his pond.—I am,
Collegiate Institute, Jarvis St., Toronto, Canada, Tune 30th.
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