AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



33 



AUTHENTIC HISTORY.— Continued. 



season, disease, or accident, has at times led individuals to 

 state the existence of several species of Beaver in this 

 country. No other species, however, has yet been disco- 

 vered, but that whose habits we have been describing. 

 Beavers are occasionally found nearly of a pure white, 

 which is owing to the same cause that produces albino va-. 

 rieties of various animals. 



" The Beaver is about two feet in length, having a thick 

 and heavy body, especially at its hinder part. The head 

 is compressed and somewhat arched at the front, the up- 

 per part being rather narrow, and the snout at the extre- 

 mity, quite so; the neck is very short and thick. The eyes 

 are situated rather high up on the head, and have rounded 

 pupils; the ears are short, elliptical, and almost entirely 

 concealed by the fur. The whole skin is covered by two 

 sorts of hair; one which is long, rather stiff, elastic, and of 

 a gray colour for two-thirds of its length next the base, and 

 terminated by shining, reddish, brown points, giving the 

 general colour to the pelage; the other is short, very fine, 

 thick, tufted and soft, being of different shades of silver 

 gray or light lead colour. On the head and feet the hair 

 is shorter than elsewhere. The tail, which is ten or 

 eleven inches long, is covered with hair similar to that of 

 the back, for about one-third of its length nearest the base, 

 the rest of it is covered by hexagonal scales, which are not 

 imbricated." — Godman. 



The Beaver appears to inhabit, at present, the northern 

 and western regions of America, although there are evi- 

 dent traces that they were once dispersed over all the parts 

 which now constitute the United States; nearly every 

 state has its traditionary remains of the Beaver in certain 

 locations, as Beaver dams, Beaver falls, Beaver creeks, 

 Beaver rivers, Beaver lakes, &c. But now, the encroach- 

 ment of the human species has driven them to more remote 

 places, where they are still pursued by the persecuting 

 hand of avarice and rapacity, until the complete extermina- 

 tion of this valuable creature may be expected with cer- 

 tainty. 



The parts in which these animals may be said more to 

 abound, are, the country about Hudson's Bay, extending 

 from the coast of Labrador, through the interior, to the 

 Pacific Ocean; and on all of the streams tributary to the 

 Upper Missouri and Mississippi rivers, the north fork 

 of the river Platte particularly, and the standing waters 

 throughout that section of country. These are the 



great fields for trapping and hunting, and are resorted to 

 by those tribes of Indians residing east of the Rocky 

 Mountains. Immense numbers are taken and disposed of 

 by them to the different trading establishments in various 

 parts of the north and west. Some idea may be formed 

 of the quantity taken, by the fact, that from the years 

 1793, to 1802, one million four hundred and fifty-one 

 thousand nine hundred and eighty-four Beaver skins 

 were shipped from the port of Quebec alone ;* and in 1820 

 sixty thousand skins were sold by the Hudson's Bay 

 Company. Now, if we were to add to these the number 

 taken by those tribes of Indians extending through that 

 vast expanse of country lying between Lake Michigan, and 

 the Rocky Mountains, and from the 3Sth to the 52d paral- 

 lel, embracing an extent of continent, eight hundred by 

 twelve hundred miles, we must suppose that in less than 

 a century, scarcely a representative of that interesting 

 race of animals will be left. Although the Beaver is a 

 very prolific animal, yet the manner of destroying them 

 evidently tends to their final extermination. No regard 

 is paid by some reckless hunters to the situation of the 

 old female Beavers, which are often killed within a few 

 days of their littering season, whereby not only the indi- 

 vidual, but her whole progeny are destroyed. Multitudes 

 of young are also killed, before they attain an age to make 

 them of any value. How then can a race of beings exist, 

 through any extent of time, when such an annihilating 

 war is constantly waged against them ? 



Thus it will be seen, even when divested of intellec- 

 tual properties, the Beaver is an exceedingly interesting 

 animal, whether we view it during its life, or in its death. 

 The short period of its existence, which, at most, seldom 

 exceeds fifteen years, is a scene of industry, providence, 

 and perseverance. Its habits as regards their own com- 

 munities, is social and peaceful; it never destroys life or 

 commits violence for its own sustenance; nor does it ag- 

 gress the rights of a neighbouring animal. Its death is 

 sought by the hunter for the value of its skin, which be- 

 comes subject to many changes and a succession of owners. 

 In the first place the skins of the Beaver form a basis for 

 the hunter'slivelihood; then passing to the traders, become 

 a source of profit which causes them to forego civilization 

 and its attending benefits; from these in numbers they find 

 their way to the cities of America and Europe, and form 

 an article of merchandise so vast in amount as to engage 

 the attention of large capitalists; and then again, passing 



* Jeiming's Cyclopedia, 



