5 8 February 1749. 



ing ; under the neck, on the breafts, and 

 on the in fide of the thighs, they are grey. 

 They make their nefts in the dykes that are 

 erected along the banks of rivers to keep off 

 the water from the adjoining meadows ; 

 but they often do a great deal of damage, 

 by fpoiling the dykes with digging, and 

 opening paflages for the water to come into 

 the meadows 3 whereas Beavers ftop up all 

 the holes in a dyke or bank. They make 

 their nefts of twigs and fuch like things 

 externally, and carry foft Muff into them 

 for their young ones to ly upon* The 

 Swedes aflerted that they could never ob- 

 ferve a diminution in their number, but 

 believed that they were as numerous at pre- 

 fent as formerly. As they damage the 

 banks fo confiderably, the people are en- 

 deavouring to extirpate them, when they 

 can find out their nefts ; the fkin is paid 

 for, and this is an encouragement towards 

 catching the animal. A fkin of a Mujk-rat 

 formerly coft but three-pence, but at prefent 

 they gave from fix-pence to nine-pence. 

 The fkins are chiefly employed by hatters, 

 who make hats of the hair, which are faid 

 to be nearly as good as Beaver hats. The 

 Mufe-rats 'are commonly caught in traps, 

 with apples as baits. In the country of the 

 Iroaueje, I faw thofe Indians following the 



holes 



