and makes known his intentions to his parents. Immediately the old couple set about helping the bridal pair to build a home. Then they lay in a goodly supply of food, and the young folks move in. Father and Mother Beaver help to settle any disputes that may arise between the newly-weds and adjust any difficulties that may occur. The mother-in-law influence is felt even in Beaver-land. Bachelors and widowers are not tolerated in Beaver Society. They are ostracised as soon as they start on a career of single blessedness.
When living without a family, they club together in holes dug in a river-bank, living much the same as minks do. Under these conditions they do not lay in stores of food in winter, but live in hand-to-mouth fashion, securing enough food from day to day to subsist on. Neither do they build dams nor houses.
The Beaver is the largest gnawing animal (rodent) in North America. The average beaver is about three feet six inches long from tip to tip, and weighs about thirty-five pounds. One huge specimen caught in Eastern Canada weighed fifty-three pounds.
