NORTHERN OCEAN. 
venifon, falt geefe, partridges, ac. to a confide- 
rable amount, he carried away. ‘Thefe animals 
are great enemies to the Beaver, but the manner 
of life of the latter prevents them from falling 
into their clutches fo frequently as many other 
animals; they commit vaft depredations on the 
foxes during the Summer, while the young ones 
are {mall; their quick fcent directs them to their 
dens, and if the entrance be too {mall, their 
firength enables them to widen it, and go in and 
kill the mother and all her cubs. In fact, they are 
the moft deftruétive animals in this country*. 
375 
Orrers are pretty plentiful in the rivers to the The Otter, 
North of Churchill, as far as latitude 62°; farther 
North Ido not recollect to have feen any. In 
Winter they generally frequent thofe parts of 
rivers where there are falls-or rapids, which do 
not freeze in the coldeft Winters; becaufe in 
fuch fituations they are moft likely to find plenty 
of fifh, and the open water gives them a free ad- 
miflion to the fhore, where they fometimes go 
to eat the fifh they have caught; but moft com. 
monly fit on the ice, or get on a great ftone in the 
river. They are frequently feen in the very 
depth of Winter at a confiderable diftance from 
any 
* Mr. Graham fays they take their lodging in the clefts of rocks, or in 
hollow trees. The former I acknowledge, but I believe that neither Mr. 
Graham nor any of the Company’s fervants ever faw an inftance of the 
latter. In faét, during all my travels in the interior parts of Hudfon’s 
Bay, I never faw a hollow tree that was capable of affording fhelter to any 
larger animal than martins, jackafhes, or wejacks; much lei the quique- 
hatch or Bear, as fome have afierted. 
