( 1 66 ) 



within reach, they feize him by one of his legs, 

 throw him upon the ice, and difpatch him before 

 he recovers from his confirmation. 



When their cabin happens to be near fome rivu- 

 let, the hunting of the beaver is ftill more eafy. 

 They cut the ice crofs-wife, in order to fpread a 

 net under it • they afterwards break down the ca- 

 bin. The beavers that are within it, never fail to 

 make towards the rivulet, where they are taken in 

 . the net. But they muft not be fuffered to remain 

 in it for any time, as they would very foon extricate 

 themfelves, by cutting it with their teeth. Thofe 

 whole cabins are in lakes, have, at the diftance of 

 three or four hundred paces from the water-fide, a 

 kind of country houfe for the benefit of the air ; in 

 hunting of thele the huntfmen divide into two bo- 

 dies, one breaks the houfe in the country, whilft 

 the other falls upon that in the lake ; the beavers 

 which are in this lad, and they pitch upon the 

 time when they are all at home, run for fanctuary 

 to the other, where they find themfelves bewildered 

 in a cloud of duft, which has been raifed on pur- 

 pofe, and which blinds them fo, that they are fub- 

 dued with eafe. I aftly, in fome places, they con- 

 tent themfelves with making an opening in their 

 caufeways •, by this means, the beavers find them- 

 felves foon on dry ground ; fo that they remain 

 without defence ; or elfe they Tun to put fome re- 

 medy to the diforder, the caufe of which is as yet 

 unknown to them \ and as the hunters are ready to 

 receive them, it is rare that they fail, or at leaft 

 that they return empty-handed. 



There are feveral other particularities with refpecl: 

 to the beavers, which I find in fome memoirs, the 

 truth of which I will not take upon me to main- 

 tain. 



