NORTHERN OCEAN. 
Thofe who have undertaken to defcribe the 
infide of beaver-houfes, as having feveral apart- 
ments appropriated to various ufes; fuch as eat- 
ing, fleeping, ftore-houfes for provifions, and one 
for their natural occafions, €%c. muft have been 
very little acquainted with the fubjeét ; or, which 
is ftill worfe, guilty of attempting to impofe on 
the credulous, by reprefenting the greateft falfe- 
hoods as real facts. Many years conftant refi- 
dence among the Indians, during which | had 
an opportunity of feeing feveral hundreds of thofe 
houfes, has enabled me to affirm that every thing 
of the kind is entirely void of truth; for, not- 
withftanding the fagacity of thofe animals, it has 
never been obferved that they aim at any other 
conveniencies in their houfes, than to have a dry 
place to lie on; and there they ufually eat their 
victuals, which they occafionally take out of the 
water. 
It frequently happens, that fome of the large 
houfes are found to have one or more partitions, 
if they deferve that appellation; but that is no 
more than a part of the main building, left by 
the fagacity of the beaver to fupport the roof. 
On fuch occafions it is common for thofe different 
apartments, as fome are pleafed to call them, to 
have no communication with each other but by 
water ; fo that in fact they may be called double 
or treble houfes, rather than different apartments 
of the fame houfe. I have feen a large beaver- 
houfe built in a fmallifland, that had near a dozen 
apart- 
229 
1771. 
December. 
