HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 



285 



THE BEAVER. 



operation called felting. Hats are put together by 

 that operation, unless very inferior ones, in which 

 glue is applied in supplement, which of course spots 

 the hat, and refreshes with its unctuous droppings 

 the head of the wearer during rain ; and the fur of 

 the beaver has those qualities which render a much 

 better material for hats than any other which is 

 known. Accordingly it was very early used for this 

 purpose; and so exclusively used, when hats were 

 fewer and beavers more numerous, that both the 

 English and the Latin name of the animal became 

 synonymous for the article of dress. At one period it 

 was deemed necessary to enact statutes for prevent 

 ing the admixture of any other material with the fur 

 of beavers in the manufacture of hats ; and at that 

 time the hat outlasted the wearer, and could be 

 washed in the same manner as a piece of woollen 

 cloth ; but in more modern times, owing partly to the 

 great decrease in the number of beavers, and partly 

 to the increased demand for hats, the article is so ex 

 pensive that no hat is made entirely of beaver. The 

 body is formed of wool, and that is plated over with 

 beaver, which is worked fully through the body, or 

 " felt," in good hats, but only very partially in infe- 



