THE COMMON BEAYER. 415 



we consider that their history, as hitherto given to 

 mankind, has been principally taken from the re- 

 ports of the Beaver-hunters — whose object it is, not 

 to study the nature or manners of the animals, but 

 merely to seize them as articles of commerce; and 

 whose accounts are often in themselves contradic- 

 tory — it is necessary that we should not give impli- 

 cit faith to every thing that lias been written even 

 by the most respectable authors concerning them, 

 where these authors have not themselves witnessed tlic 

 facts they relate. — Captain George Cartwright, who 

 resided above fourteen years on the coast of Labrador, 

 in order to collect the different furs of that dreary cli- 

 mate, saw more of the manners of the Beaver, than 

 nearly all other writers whatever. To his work, there- 

 fore, and to that of M. Du Pratz, who in Loui- 

 siana was an eye-witness to their labours, I have 

 principally had recourse, in endeavouring to give to 

 the reader as faithful an account as possible of these 

 \vonderful animals. 



" The front teeth of the Beavers,''' says Capt. 

 Cartwright, '^ are very strong, and well adapted to 

 the purpose of gnawing wood. They feed on leaves 

 and the bark of trees ; and when they eat, they sit 

 upright, and carry the food to their mouth, in the 

 same manner as the Squirrel tribe. The French 

 naturalist, singularly enough, asserts, that *' the 

 Beaver has a scaly tail, l^cmise lie eals fsh.'''' Mr, 

 Cartwriglit pleasantly obser^^es, "L wonder M. dc 

 Buffon has not one himself, for tlic same reason ; 

 for I am sure he has eaten a great deal more fish than 

 &11 the Beavers in the world put together." The 



