298 September 1749. 



Jefh is reckoned beft, if the beaver has 

 lived upon vegetables, fuch as the afp, and 

 the beaver-tree * ; but when he has eaten 

 iiih, it does not tafte well. To day I tafted 

 this flelh boiled, for the firft time j and 

 though every body prefent, belides myfelf, 

 thought it a delicious difli, yet I could not 

 agree with them- I think, it is eatable, but 

 has nothing delicious. It looks black when 

 boiled, and has a peculiar tafte. In order 

 to prepare it well, it muil be boiled in fe- 

 veral waters from morning till noon, that 

 it may lofe the bad tafte it his. The tail 

 is likewife eaten, after it has been boiled in 

 the fame manner, and roafled afterwards ; 

 but it confifts of fat only, though they 

 would not call it fo ; and cannot be fwal- 

 lowed by one who is not ufed to eat it. 



Much has already been written concern- 

 ing the dykes, or houfes of the beavers -, 

 it is therefore unneceffary to repeat it. 

 Sometimes, though but feldopi, they catch 

 beavers with white hair. 



Wine is almoft the only liquor which 

 people above the vulgar are ufed to drink. 

 They make a kind of fpruce beer of the 

 top of the white fir -f-, which they drink 



* Magnolia glauca^ Linn. 



f Epinette blanche. The way of brewing this beer is 

 <!efcribed r'"lar;>e in the Memoirs of the Royal Acad, of 

 Sciences, for the yean 7 51, p. 190. 



in 



