30 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



AUTHENTIC HISTORY— Continued. 



that could have made M. Du Pratz, and other French 

 writers, conjecture that such a thing did exist, must have 

 been from having seen some old beaver-houses which had 

 been taken by the Indians; for they are always obliged 

 to make a hole in one side of the house before they can 

 drive them out; and it is more than probable that in so 

 mild a climate as Canada, the Indians generally make 

 those holes on the land side, which without doubt gave 

 rise to the suggestion. The Northern Indians think that 

 the sagacity of the Beaver directs them to make that part 

 of their house which fronts the north much thicker than 

 any other part, with a view of defending themselves from 

 the cold winds which generally blow from that quarter 

 during the winter; and for this reason the northern In- 

 dians generally break open that side of the Beaver-houses 

 which exactly front the south. 



" In respect to the Beaver dunging in their houses, as 

 some persons assert, it is quite wrong, as they always 

 plunge into the water to do it. I am the better enabled 

 to make this assertion, from having kept several of them 

 till they became so domesticated as to answer to their name, 

 and follow those to whom they were accustomed, in the 

 same manner as a dog would do, and they were as much 

 pleased at being fondled, as any animal I ever saw. I had 

 a house built for them, and a small piece of water before 

 the door, into which they always plunged when they 

 wanted to ease nature; and their dung being of a light 

 substance, immediately rises and floats on the surface, 

 then separates and subsides to the bottom. When the 

 winter sets in so as to freeze the water solid, they still 

 continue their custom of coming out of their house, and 

 dunging and making water on the ice; and when the 

 weather was so cold that I was obliged to take them into 

 my house, they always went into a large tub of water 

 which I set for that, purpose: so that they made not the 

 least dirt, though they were kept in my own sitting-room, 

 where they were the constant companions of the Indian 

 women and children, and were so fond of their company, 

 that when the Indians were absent for any considerable 

 time, the Beaver discovered great signs of uneasiness, and 

 on their return showed equal marks of pleasure, by fond- 

 ling on them, crawling into their laps, laying on their 

 backs, sitting erect like a squirrel, and behaving to them 

 like children, who see their parents but seldom. In 



led, as far as he could, under the protection afforded hy the United States 

 forces. The above facts were related to the writer by one of the most emi- 

 nent men on this expedition, only last summer; and these remarks are 

 made to show how often the world is deluged by fabulous stories on mat- 

 ters which should be preserved in entire purity. — [Ed.] 



general, during the winter they lived on the same food as 

 the women did, and were remarkably fond of rice and 

 plum-pudding: they would eat partridges and fresh veni- 

 son very freely, but I never tried them with fish, though 

 I have heard they will at times prey on them. In fact, 

 there are few of the granivorous animals that may not be 

 brought to be carniverous. It is well known that our do- 

 mestic poultry will eat animal food: thousands of geese 

 that come to London market are fattened on tallow-craps; 

 and our horses in Hudson's Bay would not only eat all 

 kinds of animal food, but also drink freely of the wash, or 

 pot-liquor, intended for the hogs. 



" With respect to the inferior, or slave-beaver, of which 

 some authors speak, it is, in my opinion, very difficult 

 for those who are best acquainted with the ceconomy of 

 this animal to determine whether there are any that de- 

 serve that appellation or not. It sometimes happens, that 

 a Beaver is caught, which has but a very indifferent coat, 

 and which has broad patches on the back, and shoulders 

 almost wholly without hair. This is the only foundation 

 for asserting that there is an inferior, or slave-beaver, 

 among them. And when one of the above description is 

 taken, it is perhaps too hastily inferred that the hair is 

 worn off from those parts by carrying heavy loads: where- 

 as it is most probable that it is caused by a disorder that 

 attacks them somewhat similar to the mange; for were 

 that falling off of the hair occasioned by performing extra 

 labour, it is natural to think that instances of it would be 

 more frequent than there are; as it is rare to see one of 

 them in the course of seven or ten years. I have seen a 

 whole house of those animals that had nothing on the 

 surface of their bodies but the fine soft down; all the long 

 hairs having molted off. This and every other deviation 

 from the general run is undoubtedly owing to some par- 

 ticular disorder. — Hearne's Journey to the Northern 

 Ocean, and through the country toestof Prince of Wales 

 Fort, Hudson Bay, Jl. D. 1771. 



" As all the accounts which I have hitherto read of 

 Beavers, are very erroneous, I shall here communicate my 

 observations on those animals. I suppose that none of 

 the writers who have mentioned them, ever saw a Beaver- 

 house, but related only the tales of illiterate furriers, 

 whose veracity is not to be depended upon. I tremble at 

 feeling myself under the necessity of contradicting that 

 celebrated natural historian, Compt deBuffon; yet I must 

 take the liberty to do it. He says, 'A Beaver has a scaly 

 tail, because he eats fish;' I wonder much that Monsieur 

 Buffon had not one himself for the same reason; for I am 



