30 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
AUTHENTIC HISTORY — Continued. 
that could have made M. Du Pratz, and other French 
writers, conjecture that such a tiling did exist, must have 
been from having seen some old beaver-houses which had 
been taken by the Indians; for they are always obliged 
to make a hole in one side of the house before they can 
drive them out; and it is more than probable that in so 
mild a climate as Canada, the Indians generally make 
those holes on the land side, which without doubt gave 
rise to the suggestion. The Northern Indians think that 
the sagacity of the Beaver directs them to make that part 
of their house which fronts the north much thicker than 
any other part, with a view of defending themselves from 
the cold winds which generally blow from that quarter 
during the winter; and for this reason the northern In- 
dians generally break open that side of the Beaver-houses 
which exactly front the south. 
“In respect to the Beaver dunging in their houses, as 
some persons assert, it is quite wrong, as they always 
plunge into the water to do it. I am the better enabled 
to make this assertion, from having kept several of them 
till they became so domesticated as to answer to their name, 
and follow those to whom they were accustomed, in the 
same manner as a dog would do, and they were as much 
pleased at being fondled, as any animal I ever saw. I had 
a house built for them, and a small piece of water before 
the door, into which they always plunged when they 
wanted to ease nature; and their dung being of a light 
substance, immediately rises and floats on the surface, 
then separates and subsides to the bottom. When the 
winter sets in so as to freeze the water solid, they still 
continue their custom of coming out of their house, and 
dunging and making water on the ice; and when the 
weather was so cold that I was obliged to take them into 
my house, they always went into a large tub of water 
which I set for that, purpose: so that, they made not the 
least dirt, though they were kept in my own sitting-room, 
where they were the constant companions of the Indian 
women and children, and were so fond of their company, 
that when the Indians were absent for any considerable 
time, the Beaver discovered great signs of uneasiness, and 
on their return showed equal marks of pleasure, by fond- 
ling on them, crawling into their laps, laying on their 
backs, sitting erect like a squirrel, and behaving to them 
like children, who see their parents but seldom. In 
led, as far as he could, under the protection afforded by the United States 
forces. The above facts were related to the writer by one of the most emi- 
nent men on this expedition, only last summer; and these remarks are 
made to show how often the world is deluged by fabulous stories on mat- 
ters which should be preserved in entire purity. — [Ed.] 
general, during the winter they lived on the same food as 
the women did, and were remarkably fond of rice and 
plum-pudding: they would eat partridges and fresh veni- 
son very freely, but I never tried them with fish, though 
I have heard they will at times prey on them. In fact, 
there are few of the granivorous animals that may not be 
brought to be carniverous. It is well known that our do- 
mestic poultry will eat animal food: thousands of geese 
that come to London market are fattened on tallow-craps; 
and our horses in Hudson’s Bay would not only eat all 
kinds of animal food, but also drink freely of the wash, or 
pot-liquor, intended for the hogs. 
“With respect to the inferior, or slave-beaver, of which 
some authors speak, it is, in my opinion, very difficult 
for those who are best acquainted with the oeconomy of 
this animal to determine whether there are any that de- 
serve that appellation or not. It sometimes happens, that 
a Beaver is caught, which has but a very indifferent coat, 
and which has broad patches on the back, and shoulders 
almost wholly without hair. This is the only foundation 
for asserting that there is an inferior, or slave-beaver, 
among them. And when one of the above description is 
taken, it is perhaps too hastily^ inferred that the hair is 
worn off from those parts by carrying heavy loads: where- 
as it is most probable that it is caused by a disorder that 
attacks them somewhat similar to the mange; for were 
that falling off of the hair occasioned by performing extra 
labour, it is natural to think that instances of it would be 
more frequent than there are; as it is rar.e to see one of 
them in the course of seven or ten years. I have seen a 
whole house of those animals that had nothing on the 
surface of their bodies but the fine soft down; all the long 
hairs having molted off. This and every other deviation 
from the general run is undoubtedly owing to some par- 
ticular disorder. — Hearne's Journey to the Northern 
Ocean , and through the country west of Prince of Wales 
Fort, Hudson Bay, Ji. D. 1771. 
“As all the accounts which I have hitherto read of 
Beavers, are very erroneous, I shall here communicate my 
observations on those animals. I suppose that none of 
the writers who have mentioned them, ever saw a Beaver- 
house, but related only the tales of illiterate furriers, 
whose veracity is not to be depended upon. I tremble at 
feeling myself under the necessity of contradicting that 
celebrated natural historian, Compt de Buffon; yet I must 
take the liberty to do it. He says, ‘A Beaver has a scaly 
tail, because he eats fish;’ I wonder much that Monsieur 
Buffon had not one himself for the same reason; for I am 
