348 A JOURNEY TO THE 



and [374] sooner than lose half his prize, he pursued the 

 above method till he had accomplished his ends. The bags 

 of flour, oatmeal, and pease, though of no use to him, he tore 

 all to pieces, and scattered the contents about on the snow ; 

 but every bit of animal food, consisting of beef, pork, bacon, 

 venison, salt geese, partridges, ^c. to a considerable amount, 

 he carried away. These animals are great enemies to the 

 Beaver, but the manner of life of the latter prevents them 

 from falling into their clutches so frequently as many other 

 animals ; they commit vast depredations on the foxes during 

 the Summer, while the young ones are small ; their quick 

 scent directs them to their dens, and if the entrance be too 

 small, their strength enables them to widen it, and go in 

 and kill the mother and all her cubs. In fact, they are the 

 most destructive animals in this country.* 

 The Otter. Otters ^ are pretty plentiful in the rivers to the North 



of Churchill, as far as latitude 62° ; farther North I do not 

 recollect to have seen any. In Winter they generally frequent 

 those parts of rivers where there are falls or rapids, which do 

 not freeze in the coldest Winters; because in [375] such 

 situations they are most likely to find plenty of fish, and 

 the open water gives them a free admission to the shore, 

 where they sometimes go to eat the fish they have caught ; 

 but most commonly sit on the ice, or get on a great stone 

 in the river. They are frequently seen in the very depth 

 of Winter at a considerable distance from any known open 



* Mr. Graham says they take their lodging in the clefts of rocks, or in 

 hollow trees. The former I acknowledge, but I believe that neither Mr. 

 Graham nor any of the Company's servants ever saw an instance of the latter. 

 In fact, during all my travels in the interior parts of Hudson's Bay, I never saw 

 a hollow tree that was capable of affording shelter to any larger animal than 

 martins, jackashes, or wejacks ; much less the quiquehatch or Bear, as some 

 have asserted. 



[This statement is from Pennant, "Arct. Zool.," i. p. 68, 1784, and given on 

 the authority of Mr. Graham.] 



[^ Luira canadensis (Schreber). This valuable fur-bearer is found through- 

 out the wooded country, but is rare near the borders of the forest.] 



