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... the building of dams. One species of beaver occurs in North America, the other in Eurasia. The two species differ chiefly in the shape of the nasal bones and are so much alike that some authorities consider them to be varieties of the same species. They are large rodents; the average adult beaver weighs about 16 kg (about 35 lb), but specimens as heavy as 40 kg (90 lb) have been found, and some extinct beavers were almost bearlike in size. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1975).
Beavers have long been exploited for their fur, and for many years during the 18 th and 19 th centuries hundreds of thousands of beaver skins were exported to Europe from North America annually. The animals were also sometimes destroyed because of the damage they did to forests and the flooding occasionally caused by dams. Ceaseless slaughter led to near extinction of beavers in both Europe and North America. Although, they are becoming reestablished in Canada (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1975).
Loon, common name for five species of diving birds having heavy, straight, sharp-edged bills; heavy and elongated bodies; short, slender, pointed wings; and short, stiff tails. Their legs are short, and the three front toes are webbed. Because their legs are placed far back on the body, loons cannot walk on land. They therefore place their nests along the shores of lakes or in marshes and swamps, where they can slide directly into the water.
The nests are usually loose structures made of aquatic vegetation, in which the female lays two dark brownish eggs (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). The common loon, an American species, breeds throughout much of Canada and the northern United States, wintering at sea south to the Gulf of Mexico, where it molts and becomes flightless. It is 70 to 90 cm (28 to 36 in) long. In summer its back is black spotted with white, and its head and throat black with a green or blue sheen. Winter and immature birds are gray (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). In North America, Moose are found in wooded areas of Canada and the northern United States.
An adult may stand 1. 4 to 2. 35 m (4. 6 to 7. 7 ft) high at the shoulder and weigh 200 to 825 kg (440 to 1820 lb). The males bear enormous, broad, flattened antlers with marginal prongs, or tines. The antlers are shed each year after the mating season, by which time they can attain a spread of 1. 5 m (5 ft) or more (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). Moose generally are solitary, although they may form into small bands in winter and trample down the snow where good cover exists, making a "moose yard" where the animals stay while the food lasts. In deep snow a moose is helpless and easily hunted by humans on snowshoes. During the mating season, bulls battle for the cows, and their roars may be heard for great distances.
After a gestation of 226 to 264 days, one to three calves are born. If a baby is born the following year, the mother drives off her first offspring, although the young may rejoin the mother after a few weeks. For a time the species was threatened with extinction, both in Europe and in North America, because of indiscriminate hunting. Modern game laws and areas set aside for the protection of these animals have helped to save them (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). Canada does not only equate beautiful animals, but Canada also includes, two nation sports; Ice Hockey, and Lacrosse.
Again we see the influence of the Natives on Canadian items, by looking at Lacrosse. Lacrosse was invented by the natives of Canada, although it was much more violent then it seems to be presently. Lacrosse, field game played by two opposing teams, with a ball and a special netted stick, or crosse, with which the ball is caught, carried, and thrown. The game, originally played as training for warfare by the Native Americans of North America, and called baggataway, was adopted by the French-Canadians. They called the head of the stick used in the game la crosse because it resembles a bishop's crosier or cross. The National Lacrosse Association (now the Canadian Lacrosse Association) was formed in 1867 to govern the sport.
Since then, lacrosse has, by reason of culture, tradition, and popularity, become the Canadian national game (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). Then their is ice hockey, one of the most popular sports in whole wide world. Spectator may argue that beer is part of the game, but that is another essay topic. Hockey, game in which two opposing teams attempt to drive a puck through the goal of the opponent by means of sticks that are curved or hooked at one end. Ice hockey is probably a descendant of bandy, a sport that developed in England in the late 18 th century but is now played only in the Baltic countries, Sweden, and Russia. Modern ice hockey was devised in either 1853 or 1860 by British soldiers stationed in Canada.
Rules were set by students at McGill University in Montreal, Qubec, in 1879, and several amateur clubs and leagues were established in Canada by the late 1880 s. The game is believed to have been first played in the United States in 1893. By the beginning of the 20 th century the sport had spread to Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Today, ice hockey is played in some 30 countries, principally in North America, Scandinavia, and Russia. "It is the national sport of Canada" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1975).
Probably the two most important Canadian images are the Mounted Police, and the Maple Leaf. We can be absolutely positive that if we ask anybody (with reasonable sanity) about the Maple Leaf or the Mounted Police they will surely say Canada. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in Canada, national police force, known familiarly as the Mounties, which, since 1950, enforces law in all provinces except Qubec and Ontario. The corps, organized in 1873 as the Northwest Mounted Police, gained respect during the 19 th century for combatting smuggling, horse thievery, and desperadoes in the violent northern territories. It is the only law enforcement body in the Northwest and Yukon territories of Canada, where members serve voluntarily. The RCMP has its national headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, and is under the jurisdiction of the solicitor-general of Canada (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988) The force is widely known for its high degree of training, military bearing and pride, and ceremonial horse shows, and the Mounties have been the subject of many stories and films.
Their parade uniform consists of a low, broad-brimmed hat, scarlet jacket, and blue trousers with a yellow stripe (Canadian Encyclopaedia, 1988). The Maple Leaf represents individual citizens and the nation as a whole, expressing its collective will and severity. The maple leaf is what is on our flag that represents all that we stand for. The maple leaf includes everybody and everything that is Canadian.
Freedom is was the maple leaf on our flag tells us. Canada has many images, items, and practices that weren't mention, which are just as important as the ones above. Yet from only such a few Canadian images, it is very obvious that we are still linked enormously to the native cultures. Most of the items that are distinctly Canadian are descended from our native brothers. This is shown by the number of images Canada has that are related to nature, and natural life. Canada has the most images that are related to nature in all of the world.
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Research essay sample on Encyclopaedia Britannica Ice Hockey
