876 ON THE 



its tail, are covered with a double fur; the one 

 next to the skin and of which our hats are manu- 

 factured, being a soft, downy substance, well cal- 

 culated to act against the severe cold by which 

 the Winters in Northerly latitudes are to be 

 distinguished ; while the exterior coat is for- 

 med of long, strait, and coarse hair, of a dark 

 chesnut colour, approaching to black; in some, of 

 a deep black ; in afew, of a milk white; more rare- 

 ly of a cream color; and sometimes, of patches of 

 black spots upon a white ground. This coat, 

 while it adds, to the warmth of the animal, seems 

 intended, like the feathers of aquatic Birds, to 

 throw of the water from its several points, while 

 the Beaver is in the act of swimming, and thus to 

 preserve the skin from the influence of the wet, 

 to which, from the habits of the animal, it would 

 otherwise be constantly exposed. 



The under Fur, from its universal application 

 in the manufacture of hats, it is well known, 

 forms a very important and leading article of 

 commerce ; and it is for this, and to obtain an 

 useful article in medicine, named Castor, which is 

 procured from glands situated at the lower part 

 of the animal's abdomen, that the Beaver is 

 liunted and destroyed for European purposes ; 

 while the natives kill it for the sake of its 

 flesh, which they eat, and of its skin, which they 

 use as an article of clothing. 



But one of the most interesting parts of its. 



