156 THE GREAT N^ORTH-WEST 



distributed as to give the hunters the greatest faciHties 

 in disposing of their furs when hunting at a distance 

 from theu" homes. 



The head of the river is Lake Abbitibbe, in which it 

 takes its rise ; and we arrived there at the end of June, 

 and made preparations for another short stay, as I wished 

 to still further examine the fauna of the country before 

 finally quitting it, as I had determined to do. Again 

 we erected temporary huts at some distance from the 

 point where the river issues from the lake, but at a point 

 where a small brook joins it. Some two miles up the 

 course of this brook there was an old beaver dam. This 

 is the first time I have mentioned this animal, the 

 national emblem of Canada, but not the first time I saw 

 traces of it. However, beavers are rarely seen unless 

 specially searched for. Their nocturnal habits, and the 

 fact that they spend their days hidden in their lodges, 

 account for this ; and beavers are also getting scarce. 

 The Company have beaver preserves now ; but I forget 

 if they were already established at this time. At all 

 events I never saw one. 



The beaver is not now of the importance which it 

 formerly was. The fate of the animal is intimately con- 

 nected with hats. Before the introduction of the city 

 gentleman's " silk hat," people with a pretension to re- 

 spectability wore " beavers," and at one time the export 

 of beaver pelts far exceeded that of any other class of 

 skin. More than a million per annum were formerly 

 sent out of Canada by the Company. Now it is doubt- 

 ful if fifty thousand are killed annually, and they are 

 gradually becoming fewer and fewer in number. 



The subject of beaver dams and beaver meadows is 

 too well worn for me to enter on it here. The wonderful 

 instinct, reason, ingenuity — call it what you will — of 

 these little animals is surprising enough, but it has been 

 much exaggerated by most writers. The dams are not 

 the intricate and elaborate works they are often described 



