NOTES ON BEAVERS. 101 



Like men undt'i- the oppression of despotic ^'overnments, the spirit 

 of the European beavers is depressed and their t;euius extint,'uished 

 by terror and a perpetual and necessary attention to individual 

 safety. 



The northern parts of Europe are now so populous, and the 

 animals there are so perpetually hunted for the sake of their furs, that 

 they have no opportunity of associating, and of course those wonderful 

 marks of their sagacity, which they exhibit in the I'emote and unin- 

 habited regions of North America, are no longer to be found. 



The society of beavers is one of peace and of affection. They 

 never quarrel or injure one another, except during the period of court- 

 ship, for even amongst beavers Eve is ever the cause of evil, but 

 live together in different numbers, according to the dimensions of 

 particular cabins, in the most perfect harmony. 



The principle of their union is neither monarchical nor despotic, for 

 the inhabitants of the different cabins, as well as those of the whole 

 village, seem to acknowledge no chief or leader whatever. Their asso- 

 ciation presents to our observation a model of a pure and perfect 

 republic, the only basis of which is mutual and unequivocal attachment. 



I have already drawn your attention to the difference that oppression 

 occasions in the animate works of nature, and this because I find in 

 reading numerous authors on the subject that their accounts of the 

 works and their opinions of the intelligence of these most interesting 

 mammals differ very cousiderabh', and at the same time with much 

 apparent truthfulness. I also note that the older observers, i.e., those 

 who studied these animals when their iurjirst came into great request, 

 and therefore at a time when persecution had not wrought its natural 

 result in the degradation of the species, give glowing accounts of their 

 wonderful villages; whilst living writers "pooh-pooh" all this as a 

 legend, and declare their structures, though parallel in idea, to be 

 slovenly and iudift'erent. I shall prefer those descriptions which best 

 illustrate the palmy days of the species. 



In the fall of the year the beavers generally migrate up stream to 

 a more favourable situation for procuring a supply of winter food. 

 About January their tracks may be seen in the snow near the outlet 

 of the lakes, where young fir trees abound, their bai'k now being pre- 

 ferred, as the sap has not risen in the willow and alder ; some of the 

 beavers become torpid during January, especially those living near 

 lakes, swamps, or large sheets of water, which are frozen. 



If February is open the beavers begin to come out of their retreats 

 and frequent any running water near them ; but it is generally March 

 before the bulk of them vacate their winter quarters. When they appear 

 they are lean, but their furs are still good, and continue so until the 

 middle of Ma^-. 



About the end of March they begin to "call." Both males and 

 females "call and answer" one another. Sometimes on one "calling" 

 half-a-dozen will answer from different parts of the lake. They occa- 

 sionally " call " as late as August. Males fight during this season 



