& ^popular 3tcttonari) of &uimattfr 



55 



its chief diet, but it is said to be extremely 

 fond of delicacies, and in its native forets 

 subsists in a great measure upon the honey 

 which is there found in considerable abun- 

 dance. It is attracted to the vicinity of man 

 by its fondness for the young shoots of the 

 cocoa-nut trees, to which it is very injurious. 

 It has been frequently taken and domesti- 

 cated. One which Sir Stamford Raffles 

 possessed when young is thus described by 

 him : " He was brought up in the nursery 

 with the children ; and, when admitted to 

 my table, as was frequently the case, gave a 

 proof of his taste by refusing to eat any fruit 



but mangosteens, or to drink any wine but 

 champagne. The only time I ever knew 

 him to be out of humour was ou an occasion 

 when no champagne was forthcoming. He 

 was naturally of an affectionate disposition, 

 and it was never found necessary to chain 

 or chastise him. It was usual for this bear, 

 the cat, the dog, and a small blue mountain 

 bird or lory of New Holland, to mess to- 

 gether, and eat out of the same dish. His 

 favourite playfellow was the dog, whose 

 teasing and worrying were always borne and 

 returned with the utmost good humour and 

 playfulness. As he grew up he became a 

 very powerful animal, and in his rambles in 

 the garden he would lay hold of the largest 

 plantains, the stems of which he could 

 scarcely embrace, and tear them up by the 

 roots." 



BEAVER. (Cantor fiber.) The Beaver 

 is a Rodent animal, readily distinguished 

 from every other quadruped by its broad 

 horizontally-flattened tail, which is of a 

 nearly oval form, but rising into a slight 

 convexity on its upper surface, and covered 

 with scales. The hind feet are webbed, and 

 together with the tail, which acts as a rudder, 

 serve to propel it through the water with 

 considerable facility. It is about three feet 

 long, exclusive of the tail, which is one foot 

 more : its colour is a deep chesnut, the hair 

 very fine, smooth, and glossy ; but it occa- 

 sionally varies, and is sometimes found per- 

 fectly black. The incisor teeth are very 

 large and hard ; so hard, indeed, that they 

 were used by the North American Indians 

 to cut bone and to fashion their horn-tipped 

 spears, till they were superseded by the in- 

 troduction of iron tools from Europe. 



Of all quadrupeds the Beaver is considered 

 as possessing the greatest degree of natural 

 or instinctive sagacity in constructing its 



habitation ; preparing, in concert with others 

 of its own species, a kind of arched caverns 

 or domes, supported by a foundation of 

 strong pillars, and lined or plastered in- 

 ternally with a degree of neatness and ac- 

 curacy unequalled by the art of any other 

 quadruped. But it should seem, however, 

 that the architecture of the Beaver is no- 

 where so conspicuous as in the northern 

 parts of America. The favourite resorts of 

 the Beaver are retired, watery, and woody 

 situations. In such places they assemble, 

 to the number of some hundreds ; living, as 

 it were, in families, and building their arched 

 receptacles. From this we may perceive to 

 what a degree animals, unassisted either by 

 language or reason, are capable of concurring 

 for their mutual benefit, and of attaining, 

 by dint of numbers, those advantages which 

 each, in a state of solitude, seems unfitted 

 to possess : for if we view the Beaver only 

 in the light of an individual, and uncon- 

 nected with others of its kind, we shall find 

 that many other quadrupeds excel it in 

 cunning, and almost in all the powers of an- 

 noyance and defence. When kept in a state 

 of solitude or domestic tameness, it appears 

 calm and indifferent to all about it ; with- 

 out attachments or antipathies ; and never 

 seeking to gain the favour of man, nor aim- 

 ing to offend him. 



BBAVIR. (OASTOR FIBER.) 



Few subjects in natural history have more 

 attracted the attention of travellers, or have 

 been more minutely described by naturalists, 

 than the instinctive building operations of 

 the Beaver ; and they have accordingly had 

 attributed to them powers so marvellous, as 

 to render ridiculous that which, if regarded 

 merely as a high species of animal instinct, 

 could not fail to command universal ad- 

 miration. The account given by Buffon, 

 though graphic and amusing in no ordinary 

 degree, is evidently overcharged : we shall 

 therefore take the more sober narration of 

 Hearne : " The situation of the beaver-houses 

 is various. Where the beavers are numerous 

 they are found to inhabit lakes, ponds, and 

 rivers, as well as those narrow creeks which 

 connect the numerous lakes with which this 

 country abounds ; but the two latter are 

 generally chosen by them when the depth 

 of water and other circumstances arc suitable, 

 as they have then the advantage of a current 

 to convey wood and other necessaries to 

 their habitations, and because, in general, 

 they are more difficult to be taken than 

 those that are built in standing water. They 

 always choose those parts that have such a 

 depth of water as will resist the frost in 

 winter, and prevent it from freezing to the 



