﻿THE BE AVER. 







The Beaver. 



The beaver, when fully grown, does not exceed two feet in length, 

 and scarcely one foot in height ; and, in general appearance, it bears 

 a considerable likeness to the rat. The chief exception is its tail, 

 which, unlike that of other quadrupeds, is covered with scales. The 

 hair of the animal is of a light brown color, and of two different kinds 

 short and long: the former fine and silky, the latter coarse. The 

 teeth of the beaver are like those of the rat, sharp and well-fitted to 

 cut wood a qualification of no small value to the animal, as will 

 be seen hereafter. Its fur is so much esteemed, and commands such 

 a price, that the hunters have almost destroyed the race in the vicin- 

 ity of their settlements, and they are now found only in the less 

 thickly settled regions of country, and principally in the more north- 

 ern parts. 



The sagacity and ingenuity of the beaver are exhibited in its 

 modes of living, and in the construction of its habitation. It is one 

 of the most sociable of all animals, and, in the beginning of sum- 

 mer, large numbers assemble to form themselves into a community, 

 and to establish a settlement, or, more familiarly speaking, a village. 



The place selected for their home is always upon a pond or river. 

 The latter is generally preferred by them, perhaps because it affords 



