Lesson 9　The Beaver　第9课　海狸

prefer trapper forward material disturbing

dumb chiefy gnawing America cautiously

height purpose tighter reminded frequently

obtain curious inhuman including constructed

The beaver is found chiefy in North America. It is about three and a half feet long, including the fat, paddle-shaped tail, which is a foot in length.

The long, shining hair on the back is chestnut-colored, while the fne, soft fur that lies next the skin, is grayish brown.

Beavers build themselves most curious huts to live in, and quite frequently a great number of these huts are placed close together, like the buildings in a town.

They always build their huts on the banks of rivers or lakes, for they swim much more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water.

When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish.

These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees. They are sometimes six or seven hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts.

Their huts are made of the same material as the dams, and are round in shape. The walls are very thick, and the roofs are fnished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and leaves.

They commence building their houses late in the summer, but do not get them fnished before the early frosts. The freezing makes them tighter andstronger.

They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by gnawing through the branches of trees, and even through the trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth. They peel off the bark, and lay it up in store for winter food.

The fur of the beaver is highly prized. The men who hunt these animals are called trappers.

A gentleman once saw fve young beavers playing. They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver dam, and would push one another off into the water.

He crept forward very cautiously, and was about to fre on the little creatures；but their amusing tricks reminded him so much of some little children he knew at home, that he thought it would be inhuman to kill them. So he left them without even disturbing their play.

海狸主要生活在北美，身长约3.5英尺，它有扁平、鳍状的尾巴，大约一英尺长。

背部长长的、光亮的毛是栗色的，但是紧挨着皮肤的细长而柔软的毛是灰褐色的。

海狸居住在自己建造的神奇的洞穴里。很快，洞穴周围会建起大量的洞穴，并且紧紧挨在一起，就像城镇里的建筑那样。

它们总是在河畔或湖畔建洞穴，因为比起爬行，它们更擅长游泳，而且它们也喜欢在水中游。

当它们在河边建洞穴的时候，它们会横跨河流筑坝蓄水形成它们需要的高度。

这些坝主要是用泥沙、石块和树枝建成的。它们有的有六七百英尺长，这样的构造更像是由人类完成的，而并非是这群小小的动物的杰作。

像坝一样，它们的洞穴也是由那些材料建成，而且是圆形的。墙壁非常厚实，洞顶覆盖了一层厚厚的泥沙、树枝和树叶。

它们在夏末开始建造自己的房子，但是在初霜之前不会完成。因为寒冷可以使洞穴变得更硬实坚固。

它们用自己锋利的门牙咬断树枝，甚至是小树的树干，以此获得建坝和洞穴的木材。它们剥掉树皮，储存在洞穴中，用来做越冬的食物。

海狸皮毛十分珍贵。猎杀这种动物的人被称为诱捕者。

曾经有一个人看见5只小海狸正在玩。在靠近海狸坝的地方有一棵树，它们正在树干上跳跃，一只接一只地把对方推下水。

他小心地向前靠近，准备猎杀这些小生物们。但是，它们令人发笑的游戏使他想起了家中的小孩子们，所以他想，杀害它们是没人性的行为。随后，他离开了它们，甚至没有打扰它们嬉戏。