The Beaver. 125 



these unfortunate fellows have, as is the case with the males of 

 many species of animals, been engaged in fighting with others of 

 their sex, and after having been conquered and driven away from 

 the lodge, have become idlers from a kind of necessity. The 

 working Beavers, on the contrary, associate, males, females, and 

 young together. 



Beavers are caught, and found in good order at all seasons of 

 the year in the Rocky Mountains ; for in those regions the atmos- 

 phere is never warm enough to injure the fur ; in the low-lands, 

 however, the trappers rarely begin to capture them before the first 

 of September, and they relinquish the pursuit about the last of May. 

 This is understood to be along the Missouri, and the (so called) 

 Spanish country. 



Cartwright, (vol. i., p. 62.) found a Beaverthat weighed forty- 

 five pounds ; and we were assured that they |have been caught 

 weighing sixty-one pounds before being cleaned. The only por- 

 tions of their flesh that are considered fine eating, are the sides of 

 the belly, the rump, the tail, and the liver. The tail, so much 

 spoken of by trs^vellers and by various authors, as being very deli- 

 cious eating, we did not think equalled their descriptions. It has 

 nearly the taste of beef marrow, but is rather oily, and cannot be 

 partaken of unless in a very moderate quantity, except by one 

 whose stomach is strong enough to digest the most greasy sub- 

 stances. 



Beavers become very fat at the approach of autumn ; but during 

 winter they fall off in flesh, so that they are generally quite poor 

 by spring, when they feed upon the bark of roots, and the roots, 

 of various aquatic plants, some of which are at that season white, 

 tender, and juicy. During winter, when the ice is thick and strong, 

 the trappers hunt the Beaver in the following manner. A hole is 

 cut in the ice as near as possible to the aperture leading to the 

 dwelling of the animal, the situation of which is first ascertained ; 

 a green stick is placed firmly in front of it, and a smaller stick on 

 each side, about a foot from the stick of green wood ; the bottom 

 is then patted or beaten smooth and even, and a strong stake is set 

 into the ground to hold the chain of the trap, which is placed with- 

 in a few inches of the stick of green wood, well baited, and the 

 Beaver, attracted either by the fresh bark or the bait, is almost al- 

 ways caught. Although when captured in this manner, the ani- 

 mal struggles, diving and swimming about in its efforts to escape, 

 it never cuts off a foot in order to obtain its liberty ; probably be- 



