552 ANNUAL REGISTER, 181G. 



lose its efficacy if exposed to the 

 open air. The scent becomes much 

 stronger in four or five days after 

 preparation, and, provided proper 

 precaution is exercised, will pre- 

 serve its efficacy for mouths. Any 

 strong aromatic spices will an- 

 swer ; their sole virtue being to 

 give variety and pungency to the 

 scent of the bark stone. The 

 male beaver lias six stones, two 

 of which contain a substance 

 much like finely pulverized bark, 

 of a pale yellow colour, and in 

 smell resembling tampers' ooze ; 

 these are called bark stones or 

 castors. Two others, which like 

 the bark stone resemble small 

 bladders, contain pure strong oil, 

 of a strong rank smell, and are 

 called the oil stone, and the other 

 two are the testicles. The bark 

 stones are two inches in length : 

 the others are somewhat smaller, 

 of an oval form, and lie in a 

 bunch together, between the skin 

 and the root of the tail, with 

 which they are closely connected, 

 and seem to communicate. The 

 female brings forth once in a year 

 only, and has sometimes two and 

 sometimes four at a birth, which 

 usually happens in the latter end 

 of May and the beginning of June : 

 at this time she is said to drive tlie 

 male from the lodge, who would 

 otherwise destroy the young. 

 They propagate like the fowl, by 

 the gut, and the male has no other 

 sexual distinction that we could 

 discover. 



11. The common otter has al- 

 ready been described, and this 

 species does not differ from those 

 inhabiting the other parts of Ame- 

 rica. 



12. The sea-otter resides only 

 on the sea-coast, or in the neigh- 



boxirhood of the salt water. When 

 fully grown, he arrives to the size 

 of a large mastiff dog. The ears 

 and eyes, particularly the former, 

 which are not an inch in length, 

 are thick, pointed, fleshy, and co- 

 vered with short hair : the tail is 

 ten inches long, thick at the point 

 of insertion and partially covered 

 with a deep fur on the upjier side : 

 the legs are very short, and the 

 feet, which have five toes each, 

 are broad, large, and webbed : 

 tlie legs are covered with fur, and 

 the feet with short hair : the body 

 of this animal is long, and of the 

 same thickness throughout : from 

 the extremity of the tail to the 

 nose they measure five feet. The 

 colour is a uniibnn dark brown, 

 and, when in good order and sea- 

 son, perfectly black. This ani- 

 mal is unrivalled for the beautv, 

 ricliness, and softness of his fur : 

 the inner jiait of the fur, when 

 opened, is lighter than the sur- 

 face in its natural position : there 

 aie some black and shining hairs 

 intermbced with the fur, which 

 are rather longer, and add mucli 

 to its beauty : the fur about the 

 ears, nose and eyes, in some of 

 this species, presents a lighter 

 colour, sometimes a brown : 

 their young are often sesn of a 

 cream-coloured white about the 

 nose, eyes and forehead, and 

 which are always m'jcli lighter 

 than their other parts : their fur 

 is however much inferior to that 

 of the full grown otter. 



13. The mink inhabits the 

 woody country bordering on the 

 coast, and does not differ in any 

 point from tliose of the United 

 estates. 



14. The seal are found on this 

 coast in great numbers, and as 



far 



