EARLY NOTICES OF THE BEAVEE. 379 



moss, the special locality being regarded by the Professor as probably occupying 

 the former bed of a stream, which had been once its habitat. Similar stems, from 

 two to four inches thick, with beaver marks, were seen in Bronsholm moss, in 

 great quantity, and laid with remarkable regularity; while a Jike deposit, at a 

 depth of about three feet, occurred in a moss near Lyngsbye. In these interesting 

 facts, we appear to recognise distinctly the remains of the dams of the bearer, and 

 the familiar evidences of its singular constructive faculties. Perhaps we may 

 further refer to a period not remote from that of these relics in the mosses, the 

 location of three beaver's teeth, in a greatly damaged condition, at the side of a 

 human skeleton, which was found in a tomb of an ancient Lap, opened recently* 

 at Mortensnffis, on the Varangerfjord, in the extreme north-east of Norway. A 

 Btone hammer, bearing marks of use, lay in the same grave." 



The discovery of the teeth of the beaver, alongside of the rude stone 

 hammer of a primitive Scandinavian grave is of peculiar interest to 

 the archseologist and ethnologist, as supplying another of the many 

 interesting examples of analogies in the resources of primeval arts. 

 The incisor teeth of the beaver are broad, flattened, and protected iu 

 front by a coat of very hard enamel, so that in the process of wearing, 

 they retain a sharp cutting edge like a chisel. The beaver tooth ac- 

 cordingly furnished to the American Indian one of his best cutting 

 instruments, edged by a sharp and very hard enamel, previous to the 

 introduction of iron tools. Dr. Eichardson informs us, that the in- 

 cisor tooth of the beaver, when fixed in a wooden handle, was used by 

 the Indians of the North- West to cut bone, and fashion their horn- 

 tipped spears and arrows, till it was superseded by.the English file. 



In Norway, the beaver is still indigenous ; and indeed the extent 

 of area which this animal still occupies in Europe, has been very im- 

 perfectly apppreciated even by the ablest of modern naturalists. 

 From America, the European naturalist has derived his knowledge of 

 the social habits and ingenious arts of the beaver ; but careful investi- 

 gation now satisfies us, that opportunities were not wanting for the 

 study of these before America was discovered, and that such exist in 

 Europe even at the present day. On this subject. Dr. Charles "Wilson, 

 furnishes the results of extensive and careful research, accompanied 

 with minute reference to his authorities : 



"It is interesting to remark that, independent of the more remote evidence pro- 

 duced by Professor Steenstrup from the peat-mosses of Denmark, we have, in the 

 testimony of Giraldus and Albertus Magnus, though not in the classical writers, 



■ * Forhandlinger af danske Vidfenskab. Selsk. : Illustreret Nyhedsblad, (Christiania, 1856), 

 pp. 104. 



