22 2 MAMMALTA, GLTRES. Beaver. 



455 B. White Beaver. — C. Fiber albus. 



Of a white colour, with a flat broad tail. ErilT. quad. 135. 



Inhabits the northern parts of Europe, Afia, and America. — The Beavers in general prefer the banks 

 of rivers and lakes in woody countries; they feed moitly on the bark and boughs of trees, which they 

 lay up in flore, as winter provifion, and, in rummer, on leaves and fruits, fometimes on crabs and 

 craw-fifh, but they are not fond of fifh : The trees which they chiefly prefer are Saffafras, Afh, 

 •Sweet-gum, Service^Willow, Poplar, and Magnolia, and the roots of Flag, and other aquatic plants. 

 They walk flowly, but fwim with great dexterity, and remain in their habitations during the day, 

 fleep with great foundnefs, and are remarkably cleanly ; their difpofitions are exceedingly mild and ' 

 gentle, and, when caught young, are very eafily tamed : They pair, or form into monogamous focie- 

 ties of one male and one female, in the winter fealon ; the commerce of the fexes being in an erect 

 pofture : The female has four teats, goes four months with young, and brings two, feldom three, and 

 very rarely four, at a litter. 



The head and body meafure two and a half or three feet long ; the tail is about half that length, 

 .and three inches broad; it is quite flat and thin horizontally ; about the quarter of its length •ieareft 

 the body is covered with hair, the reft is entirely naked of hair, and is covered with fcales : All the 

 feet have five toes ; the fore foot is fmall, and its toes are divided, but the hind foot is large, and 

 all its toes are connected by a web, or membrane ; the head is thick and pyramidal, ending in a blunt 

 nofe ; the ears are fhort and hid in the fur ; the neck thick and fhort ; the body is ftrongly made, 

 and highly arched in the back ; the body is covered with a double coat of fur, one of which is very 

 foft, downy, and of an afh colour ; the other is longer, ftraight, coarfer, and of a chefnut colour, 

 which is the general colour of the animal ; in different parts of the world, however, this colour va- 

 ries ; being darker, in general, in proportion as we go farther north, even fometimes entirely black ; 

 fometimes of an uniform white colour, fometimes white fpotted with afh colour, or white interfperfed 

 with reddilh hairs ;■ very rarely yellowifh. 



The falivary gfands of this quadruped are very large, and, befides thefe, it is provided with other 

 glands at the right fide of the upper orifice of the ftcmach, which fecrete a large quantity of fluid into 

 the ftomach through eighteen diftincT: excretory orifices. Near the anus and external parts, are pla- 

 ced two large glands, having a kind of cellular follicles, or fpongy excretories, which pour out a fe- 

 baceo.'S matter of a peculiar heavy odour : This is the medicinal fubftance named Ca/tor, of which 

 each individual, both male and female, ufually contains about two ounces : That produced by the 

 Beavers of Ruffia is in much higher efteem than the American, and fells for a much greater price. 

 For the anatomy of this animal, may be confulted, Wepfer, Eph. Nat. Cur. d. 1. a. 2. obf. 251. Sar-. 

 rafin, act. Parif. 1704. p. 48. Aft. Petrop. ii. 415. 



80 far Dr Gmelin ; the lingular ingenuity of this quadruped will excufe a farther digreffion than 

 could poffibly be allowed, in general, in a work of this nature, but the fubjec"t is extremely curious, 

 and, were it not well vouched, might pals for fable. As the peculiar manners of the Beaver require 

 extenfive forefts and fequeftered waters, they are only found in large numbers in the thinly peopled, 

 waftes of North America, and in the north-caftern extremity of Afiatic Ruffia, efpecially about the 

 Konda, and other rivers which flow into the Oby. They there aflbciate together for carrying on their 

 wonderful operations, in which they furpafs very far the inftintt and ingenuity of all other quadru- 

 peds. They begin to affemble, in June or July, from all quarters of the country, till they form a troop 

 fif two or three hundred individuals, near the banks of fome river or brook : If the water they have 



chofen 



