A'rJIMALS. 



383 



the point. Its colour is of a light bi:own ; the hair of two sorts ; 

 tlie one longer and coarser, the other soft, fine, short, and silky. 

 The teeth are lik(! those of a rat or a squirrel, but longer and 

 stronger, and admirably adapted to cutting timber or stripping 

 bark, to which purposes they are constantly applied. One sin- 

 gularity more may be mentioned in its conformation ; which is, 

 that, like birds, it has but one and the same vent for the emis- 

 sion of its excrements and its urine ; a strange peculiarity, but 

 which anatomists leave us no room to doubt of. 



The beavers begin to assemble about the months of June and 

 Jiily, to form a society that is to continue for the greatest part 

 of the year. They arrive in numbers from every side, and gen- 

 erally form a company of above two hundred. The place of 

 meeting is commonly the place where they fix their abode, and 

 this is always by the side of some lake or river. If it be a lake, 

 in which the waters are always upon a level, they dispense with 

 building a dam ; but if it be a running stream, which is subject 

 to floods and falls, they then set about building a dam, or pier, 

 that crosses the river, so that it forms a dead water in that part 

 which lies above and below. This dam, or pier, is often four- 

 score or a hundred feet long, and ten or twelve feet thick at the 

 base. If we compare the greatness of the work with the powers 

 of the architect, it will appear enormous ; but the solidity with 

 which it is built is still more astonishing than its size. The 

 part of the river over which this dam is usually built, is where it 

 is most shallow, and where some great tree is found growing by 

 the side of the stream. This they pitch upon as proper for 

 making the principal part in their building ; and, although it is 

 often thicker than a man's body, they instantly set about cutting 

 it down. For this operation they have no other instrument but 

 tlieir teeth, which soon lay it level, and that also on the side they 

 .vish it to fall, which is always across the stream. They then 

 lull about cutting off the top branches, to make it lie close and 

 even, and serve as the principal beam of their fabric' 



This dike, or causey, is sometimes ten, and sometimes twelve 

 feet thick, at the foundation. It descends in a declivity, or 

 slope, on that side next the water, which gravitates upon the 

 work in proportion to the height, and presses it with a prodi- 

 gious force towards the earth. Tlie opposite side is erected 

 1 Spectficie d( la Nature. 



