176 THE BEAVER. 



it be fit to provide for itself. The flesh of the young otter is 

 reckoned very delicate, and scarcely distinguishable from lamb. 

 Kamtschatka, and the opposite coasts of America, with the 

 numerous islands which lie between the two continents, are the 

 countries where the sea-otter principally abounds, and which, 

 with the rest of the furry tribes, render these barren and remote 

 regions in the eastern extremity of Asia, of great importance to 

 the Russian empire. 



THE BEAVER 



Is an animal in which the power of instinct appears in an 

 eminent degree, and indeed exhibits itself in a form of which 

 few traces can be found in the brute creation. Of all quadru- 

 peds, it is the most industrious ; and its labours seem to be the 

 result of a social compact formed for mutual preservation, sup- 

 port, and convenience. If we contemplate this animal in its 

 solitary state, we shall not find it distinguished by any superiority 

 of instinctive sagacity above the rest of the quadruped race. It 

 is by viewing it in its social condition, that we shall find its pre- 

 eminence. 



In the month of June, or at the latest in July, the beavers 

 begin to assemble, in order to form a society, which continues 

 the greatest part of the year. A company of two or three hun- 

 dred is immediately collected. These arrive from different parts, 

 and seem to be directed by an irresistible impulse, to one par- 

 ticular place, where they fix their abode. This is always by the 

 side of some river or lake. If it be a running stream, of which 

 the waters are liable to rise and fall, their first undertaking is to 

 construct a pier, or dam, quite across, so as to form a dead wa- 

 ter above and below. In some situations, the length of this dam 

 is not less than a hundred feet, and frequently ten or twelve feet 

 thick at the base. If we compare the magnitude of the work 

 with the powers of the architect, it will appear enormous, but 

 the solidity with which it is constructed is still more astonishing. 

 That part of the river where the water is the shallowest, is com- 

 monly chosen, especially if there be a large tree growing on its 

 bank. This tree they immediately set about gnawing down with 

 their teeth, which is performed with astonishing speed and dex- 

 terity. Other trees are then cut down in the same manner, 

 higher up the stream, which they float down by water to the 

 dam, where, having, with their teeth, cut off the branches, they 

 place them upright against the large tree, which constitutes the 

 foundation of the whole work. While some are thus busied in 

 fixing the stakes, others are employed in collecting twigs, inter- 

 weaving and twisting them into the jetty-work ; and a numerous 

 party is occupied in collecting large quantities^of earth, stones 



