B E A 
B£ A 
irnall diftance from one another, intermingling with 
them others which arefmaller and more phant. Left 
the water, however, fhould find a paffage through 
the intervals or fpaces between them, and leave the 
refervoir dry, they have recoiirfe to a partictiiarkind 
of clay, with which they ftop up all the crevices, 
both within and without. They then continue to 
raife the dyke in proportion to the elevation of the 
water, and the quantity they wifh to confine; and 
being confcious that the conveyance of their ma- 
terials by water is more eafily effeiled than by land, 
they avail themfelves of the current of the ftream, 
and fwim with their mortar on their tails, and their 
ftakes between their teeth. If the Beavers find 
their works in the leaft damaged by the violence 
of the water, or by the feet of the huntfmen, every 
part of them is narrowly ii^fpe6led, and the breach 
perfeftly repaired with the utmoft diligence and 
application. But when the hunters intrude too 
often, the animals either work during the night, or 
entirely abandon their fabric, and leek a more re- 
tired fituation. When the Beavers have thus far 
compleated their habitation, their next care is to 
ere£l their feveral apartments, which are either 
round or oval, and divided into three ftories, raifed 
one above another; the firft, which is that below the 
level of the caufeway, being for the moft part full of 
water. Thefe little cottages, which are built in a 
very firm and fubftantial manner on the edge of 
the refervoir, are always in the form above-men- 
tioned; that, in cafe of the water's increafe, they 
may have a higher retreat to fly to. If they find 
any little ifland contiguous to their refervoir, they 
there fix their manfion; fuch a fituation being not 
only more folid, but lefs liable to be overflowed: 
but if they cannot pitch onfach a commodious fpot, 
they fortify their habitations with piles, as a de- 
fence againft the wind as well as the water. At 
the bottom are two inlets to the ftream; one 
confifting of a paflage to their bath, which is al- 
ways kept neat and clean; and the other leading 
to that part of the ftru6ture into which every thing 
is conveyed which can either foil or damage their 
upper apartments. They have likewife a third 
opening or door-way, confiderably higher, con- 
trived for the purpofe of preventing their being 
fliut up by any external accident, when froft and 
fnow have clofed the apertures, of the lower floors. 
In the conftru£lion of their lodgings, the Bea- 
vers make uie of the fame materials as in their 
dykes. The walls of the former are about two feet 
thick, and raifed perpendicularly. They cut off with 
their teeth, in a very neat manner, all thofe parts of 
the wood which projetl beyond the wall; and then, 
having mixed fome clay and withered grafs toge- 
ther, they work them up into a kind of m-ortar, 
with w^hich, by the help of their tails^^ they plaifter 
all their works both internally and externally. 
The infides of their habitations, which are vaulted^ 
are fufficiently capacious for the reception of eight or 
ten Beavers; and, v/hen conftrufted in an oval figure, 
they are generally twelve feet long, and eight or 
ten feet broaxl. If the number of inhabitants 
increafes, the edifice is proportionably enlarged : 
and we axe credibly informed, that four hundred 
Beavers have fometimes been difcovered refiding 
in one large manfion-lioufe,. divided into a vaft 
number of apartments, but at the fame tim.e pre- 
ferving a free communication with one another. 
In the more northern climates, the habitations of 
thefe animals are finiilied inAuguft, or early in Sep- 
temb.eri when they begin to lay in their ftores. 
During the fummer months, they regale them- 
felves every day on the choiceft fruits and plants the 
country affords ; and give themfelves up to a fpe- 
cies of epicurifm: but, in wihtery they fubfift prin- 
cipally on the wood of the birch, the plane, and 
fomic other trees, which they fteep in frefh-water 
from time to time, in quantities proportioned to the 
number of inhabitants. The branches they uie 
for food are frequently ten feet long ; thofe of the 
largeft dimenfions are conveyed to their magazines 
by a v/hole troop of Beavers; but the fmaller forts 
can generally be managed by one. Each of them, 
however, takes a different way; and has his own 
proper walk affigned him, in order that one may 
not interrupt another in the profecution of his la- 
bour. Their wood-yards are larger or fmaller in 
proportion to the number in a family: and, ac- 
cording to fome curious naturalifts, the ufual ftock 
of timber for the accommodation of ten Beavers, 
cohfifts of about thirty feet in a fquare furface, and 
ten in depth. Thefe logs are not throwrt up in one 
continued pile, but laid acrofs each other, with 
intervals between them, in order that fuch quan- 
tities only as are wanted for immediate confump- 
tion may be come at with the greater facility. 
This timber is again cut into fmall particles, and! 
conveyed to one of their largeft lodges, where the 
whole family meet, in order to confume their re- 
fpe6live allotments, which are divided in a very 
impartial and equal manner. Sometimes, however, 
they venture into the woods; and at fuch feafons 
they have an opportunity of regaling themfelves 
and their young with more acceptable food. 
Thofe who are accuftomed to hunt thefe animals,- 
being perfe6i:ly aware that green wood is much 
more grateful to them than that which is old and 
dry, place a confiderable quantity round their 
lodgments; and, when they fally forth to feize it,, 
either catch them in fnares, or take them by fur- 
prize. V/hen the frofts are very fevere, the hunters 
fometimes break large holes in the-ice; and, on the 
Beavers reforting to thefe apertures to breathe the 
frefh air, -they either kill them with their hatchets j, 
or cover the holes with large fubftantial nets. This 
being done, they undermine and fubvert the whole 
fabric ; when the Beavers, expefting to make their 
efcape in the ufual way, fly with precipitation to 
the water; and, rufningto the opening, fall diredlly 
into the net. 
Befides the affociated Beavers, there is another 
fort called terriers; deftitute of either induftry or 
fagacity to conftruft habitations like the former. 
Thefe burrow in the banks of rivers, making their 
lioles beneath the freezing depth of the water, and 
working up for a great number of feet. 
The fkins of Beavers, which form a very lucra- 
tive article of commerce, are diftinguifhed under 
the appellations of coat Beaver, parchment Bea- 
ver, and ftage Beaver : the firft is ufed by the In- 
dians for coverlets; the fecond obtains it's name 
fi-om the refem.blance which the lower fide bears 
to parchment ; and the third is what the Indians 
kill out of feafon, on tlieir ftages or journies. 
From the inguinal gland of the Beaver is taken 
that valuable drug called caftoreum. The RuiTian 
caftoreum is fo much preferable to the American, " 
that the former is fold for two guineas a pound; 
whereas the latter is worth no more than eight fhil- 
lings. It is eftefm.?d an excellent medicine in all 
nervous dilbrders ; particularly in hyfteric fits, and 
the general train of feminine complaints. 
B'eavers inhabit Europe from Lapland to Lan- 
guedoci 
