The house of the Beaver is made on the same principle as the dams. Every one knows that when sticks have been in the water for any length of time, they become saturated and sink. These sticks are chosen by the Beaver as the material for its house, and are laid horizontally in the water, the heaviest being reserved for the roof, so as to make it strong enough to ward off the attacks of predacious animals. As with the dam, mud, leaves, &c., are used to consolidate the edifice, but no mud can be seen from the outside, the animal always finishing off with a number of heavy logs laid on the roof. SUBTERRANEAN DWELLINGS. I do not intend in this place to take up the whole subject of Subterranean Dwellings, but only to point out cases where the use of the Subterranean Dwelling depends on the climate of the locality and the time of year, it being sometimes used and sometimes neglected, sometimes inhabited for the sake of warmth, and sometimes for that of coolness. In various parts of India there are some most remarkable Subterranean Dwellings. They are more than mere dwellings, and are, in fact, magnificent palaces, sunk so deeply in the earth that very little more than their roofs appear aboveground. When, however, a visitor descends the stairs that lead to the interior of the palace, he finds it spacious, and with tiers of chambers one below the other, very much like the wasp-nest which has already been described. Nussur-ed-deen, the second King of Oude, had several of these palaces, but very seldom visited them, he having endeavoured to Europeanise himself as much as possible, and to cast off his native customs. He used occasionally to visit them, but it was only out of etiquette, and he never really lived in them. [Illustration: SUBTERRANEAN ANTS’ NEST. SUBTERRANEAN HOUSE OF KAMSCHATKA.] However much he might have rejected the ancient customs, it is evident that in this case, at least, he was punishing himself in rejecting these summer dwellings, which are always cool, and where, if one set of apartments is too warm, nothing is easier than to descend to the next. * * * * * THIS dwelling is made for the sake of coolness in summer. Another subterranean dwelling is made for warmth in winter, the non-conducting properties of the earth being in both cases brought into play. This is the winter dwelling of the inhabitants of Kamschatka. During the summer-time the Kamschatdales live in comparatively slight huts mounted on poles, and having the floor some ten feet from the ground. During the winter, however, they live in habitations of a very different character.