230 
L771 
— ro 
December, 
A JOURNEY TO THE 
apartments under one roof: and, two or three 
of thefe only excepted, none of them had any 
communication with each other but by water. As 
there were beaver enough to inhabit each apart- 
ment, it is more than probable that each family 
knew its own, and. always entered at their own 
door, without having any farther conne¢tion 
with their neighbours than a friendly intercourfe ; 
and to join their united labours in erecting their 
feparate habitations, and building their dams 
where required. It is difficult to fay whether 
their intereft on other occafions was anyways re- 
ciprocal. ‘The Indians of my party killed twelve 
old beaver, and twenty-five young and half-grown 
ones out of the houfe above mentioned; and on 
examination found that feveral had efcaped their 
vigilance, and could not be taken but at the ex. 
pence of more trouble than would be fuflicient 
to take double the number in a lefs difficult 
fituation*. 
Travellers who affert that the beaver have two - 
doors to their houfes, one on the land-fide, and 
the other next the water, feem to be lefs acquaint. | 
ed with thofe animals than others who affign them 
an elegant fuite of apartments. Such a proceed- 
ing would be quite contrary to their manner of 
lite, and at the fame time would render their 
houfes of no ufe, either to protect them from their 
enemies, 
* The difficulty here alluded. to, was the numberlefs vaults the beaver 
had in the fides of the pond, and the immenfe thicknefS of the houfe in 
fome parts. 
