384 EARLY NOTICES OF THE BEAVER. 



The royal hart, the conyng, and the roe, 

 The wolf that of the murder not say ho. 

 The lusty beaver, and the ravin bear. 

 For camelot the camel full of hair."* 



It is to be observed, that in tbis enumeration of the royal poet, he 

 does not confine himself exclusively to native animals, and this is still 

 more the case in previous stanzas, where not only the tiger, dromedary, 

 and elephant, are named, but even the unicorn : 



" That voidis venom with his ivory horn," 



Nevertheless, the mention of the lusty beaver among the other ani- 

 mals enumerated, sufficiently shows that it was not altogether un- 

 familiar then, although its name disappears in this reign, from the 

 official lists of taxable exports. It probably did not become entirely 

 extinct for a considerable period thereafter. 



Reference has already been made to the curious account of the 

 habits of the beaver, as witnessed by Giraldus Cambrensis in the 

 "Welsh river Teivi, in 1188; and Drayton revived the story in the 

 early part of the 1 7th century, in his " Poly-Olbion," where in the 

 sixth song, he thus embodies old marvels, and " tells what rare things 

 Tivy breeds :" 



" More famous long agone, than for the salmon's leap. 

 For bevers Tivy was, in her strong banks that bred. 

 Which else no other brook of Britain nourished ; 

 Where Nature, in the shape of this now perished beast. 

 His property did seem t' have woudrously express'd ; 

 Being body'd like a boat, with such a mighty tail 

 As served him for a bridge, a helm, or for a sail. 

 When kind did him command the architect to play, 

 That his strong castle built of branched twigs and clay : 

 Which, set upon the deep, but yet not fixed there. 

 He easily could remove as it he pleas'd to steer 

 To this side or to that ; the workmanship so rare. 

 His stuff wherewith to build, first being to prepare, 

 A foraging he goes, to groves or bushes nigh. 



And with his teeth cuts down his timber ; which laid by, 



He turns him on his back, his belly laid abroad. 



When, with what he hath got, the other do him load; 



Till lastly, by the weight, his burden he have found. 



Then with his mighty tail his carriage having bound 



As carters do with ropes, in his sharp teeth he grip'd 



Some stronger stick ; from which the lesser branches stript, 



H6 takes it in the midst ; at both the ends the rest 



Hard holding with their fangs, unto the labour prest, 



Going backward tow'rds their home their loaded carriage led. 



From whom, those first here born, were taught the useful sled. 



* Thebugill; the bullock or ox. Martrik sable ; the sable martin. Foynze; the pole-cat. 



