3S2 VERTEBRATA. 



male castoreum is of the same value, ten pairs of bags of either kind being reclconed to an Indian 

 i- equal to one beaver-skin. The castoreum is never adulterated in the fur countries." 



It appears that the castoreum, which is called bark-stone by the traders, is used by the hunters 

 in baiting their trap-, because the beavers are exceedingly fond of the odor. The end of a small 

 stick, chewed or crushed, is dipped in the castoreum, which is kept in a horn; it is then set in the 

 water, with the anointed end above the surface, and the trap beneath. The beavers scent the 

 castoreum for a hundred yards or more, and so much are they delighted, thai they draw in a long 

 breath, and utter a cry of joj as they imbibe the delicious fragrance. On approaching the delu- 

 sive bait, they are caught in the trap. 



The traveler we have jusl quoted gives the following account of the flesh, which, as much has 

 been said of its delicacy as food, is interesting: "The flesh of the beaver is much prized by the 

 Indians and Canadian Voyag< rs, especially when it is roasted in the skin, after the hair lias beea 

 singed off. In some districts it requires all the influence of the fur-trader to restrain the hunters 

 from sacrificing a considerable quantity of beaver fur every year to secure the enjoyment of this 

 luxury; and Indians o( note have generally one or two feasts ill the sea-oii, wherein a roasted 

 beaver i- the prime dish. It resembles pork in its flavor, but the lean is dark-colored, the fat oily, 

 and it requires a strong stomach to sustain a full meal of it. The tail, which is considered a great 

 luxury, consists of a gristly kind of fat, as rich, hut not so nauseating, as the fat of the body.'' 



Of the sagacity, ingenuity, and social polity of this animal many wonderful tales have bi 

 'old: except its instinct of building, however, it is not distinguished for intelligence. The follow- 

 ing excellent account, by llearne, the traveler in North America, though it dissipates these fic- 

 tions, presents many curious and interesting details. "The beaver," he says, "being so plentiful, 

 the attention of my companions was chiefly engaged on them, as they not only furnished delicious 

 food, hut their skins proved a valuable acquisition, being a principal article of trade, as well as a 

 serviceable one for clothing. The situation of the beaver-houses is various. Where the beavers 

 are numerous, they are found to inhabit lakes, ponds, and rivers, as well as those narrow creeks 

 which connect the numerous lakes with which this country abounds; but the two latter arc gen- 

 erally chosen by them when the depth of water, and other circumstances, are suitable, as i 

 have then the advantage of a current to convey wood and other necessaries to their habitations, 

 and because, in general, they are more difficult to be taken than those that are built in standing 

 water. They always choose those parts that have such a depth of water as will resist the frost in 

 winter, and prevent it from freezing to the bottom. The beavers that build their houses in small 

 rivers or creeks, in which water is liable to be drained off when the back supplies are dried up by 

 the frost, are wonderfully taught by instinct to provide against that evil by making a dam qnite 

 across the river, at a convenient distance from their houses. 



"The beaver-dams differ in shape according to the nature of the place in which they an- built 

 If the water in the river or creek have hut little motion, the dam is almost straight; hut when the 

 current is more rapid, it is always made with a considerable curve, convex toward the stream. 

 The materials made use of are drift-wood, green willows, birch, and poplars, if they can he _ 

 also, mud and stones, intermixed in such a manner as must evidently contribute to the strength 

 of the dam; hut there is no other older or method observed in the dams, except that of the work 

 being carried >>n with a regular sweep, and all the parts being made of equal strength. In pla 

 which have been long frequented by heavers undisturbed, their dam-, by frequent repairing, be 

 come a solid hank, capable of resisting a great force, both of water and ice; and as the Wil- 

 low, poplar, and birch generally take root and shoot up, they by degrees form a kind of regnlai 

 planted hedge, which I have seen in some places so tall that birds built their nests among tl 

 branches. 



"The beaver-houses are buill of the same materials as the dams, and are always proportion' 

 in size to the number of inhabitants, which seldom exceeds four old, and six or eight young ones* 

 though by chance I have seen above double the number. Instead of order or regulation 1" 

 observed in rearing their houses, they are of a much ruder structure than their dams; for, I 

 withstanding the sagacity of these animals, it has never been observed that they aim at anyotlic 

 convenience in their houses than to have a 'by place to lie on: and there they usually eat thci 



