12 July 1749. 



Canada, where the Illinois live. One of 

 the lieutenants in the fort affured me, that 

 he had ktn it. The Indians^ who were 

 there, had found it in a fwamp. They were 

 furprifed at the fight of it, and when they 

 were afked, what they thought it was ? 

 They anfwered that it mull be the fkeleton 

 of the chief or father of all the beavers. 

 It was of a prodigious bulk, and had 

 thick white teeth, about ten inches long. 

 It was looked upon as the flceleton of an' 

 elephant. The lieutenant afiured me that 

 the figure of the whole fnout was yet to be 

 itcn, though it was half mouldered. He 

 added, that he had not obferved, that any 

 of the bones were taken aw^y, but thought 

 the ikcletcn lay quite perfeil there. I have 

 heard people talk of this monftrous fkele- 

 ton in feveral other parts o^ Canada"^'. 



Bears are plentiful hereabouts, and they 

 kept a young one, about three months old, 

 at the fort. He had perfedly the fame 

 ihape, and qualities, as our common bears 

 in Europe, except the ears, which feemed 

 to be longer in proportion, and the hairs 

 which v/ere lliffer -, his colour was deep 



brown. 



* The country of the I'ilmois is on the river OhiOf near 

 tne place where the Eugl.Jh have found fome bones, fup- 

 pofed 'to belong to elephants. See Vol. L p. 135. in the 

 Bote. 



