Fur-Bearing Animals. 



217 



" Just a few, sir." 

 "Are there many black whales ?" 

 " No, sir. Very few ; only one here and there." 

 " Of course the seals are plentiful ?" 



" No, sir. They are very scarce, sir ; only one here and there." 

 " Oh ! Are there any deer ?" 

 " Very few, sir. Only one here and there." 

 " Of course there are plenty of marten ?" 

 " No, sir, only a few. We get one now and then, sir." 

 " Oh, indeed. How about the otter ?" 

 " They are very scarce too, sir ; only one here and there." 

 And so it goes. Everything is scarce; and yet the Hudson's Bay 

 Company load five ships from the products of the Labrador and the 



THE BEAVEK. 



Hudson's Bay country annually, exporting these products to the 

 value of not less than $500,000. 



In many districts all that the Hudson's Bay Company's people 

 say concerning fur-bearing animals generally will certainly apply 

 to the beaver. This valuable animal is indeed " very scarce, sir, 

 only one here and there;" and yet no one can write of the furs of 

 northern Canada and forget the beaver ; but it is only in the more 

 southern portions of the Hudson's Bay Company's domain that these 

 animals are met with, so that I will not detain the reader with a 

 description of their valuable furs at present. 



