NATURAL HISTORY. 



distance under the ice : ami then it is easy to take 

 them, if we attack the dwelling and wait tor them, at. 

 the same time, at a hole which is purposely formed 

 a little way off in the ice, and to which they are 

 obliged to come for breath. 



The habit which this animal has, of continually 

 keeping the tail, and all the hind parts of the body 

 in the water, seems to have changed the nature of its 

 flesh : that of the fore parts, till we come to the reins, 

 is of th same quality, taste, and consistency, as the 

 flesh of land animals : and of the tail, and of the hind 

 legs and thighs, has the smell, the savour, and all the 

 qualities of fish. As for the tail in particular, it is 

 an extremity of a fish fixed to the body of a quadru- 

 ped. In length it generally measures a foot, in 

 thickness an inch, and in breadth five or six inches. 

 It is entirely covered over with scales, and has a skin 

 perfectly the same as that of a large fish. 



The females are said to go four months with young: 

 they bring forth about the close of winter, and their 

 number generally consists of two or three at a time. 

 About this period the males leave them, and go forth 

 into the fields, where they enjoy all the sweets of 

 spring. In this season they pay occasional visits to 

 their habitation, but never reside in it. There, 

 however, the females remain employed in suckling, 

 tending, and rearing up their young, who can folio w 

 them in a few weeks : they then, in their turn, go 

 abroad, where they feed on fish, or on the bark of" 

 young trees, and spend their whole time in the water, 

 or the woods. 



Winter is the principal season for hunting them, as 

 it is then only that their fur is in perfection. After 

 their fabrics are demolished, and a great number hap- 

 pen to be taken, their society is never restored. 



