32 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
AUTHENTIC HISTORY — Continued. 
continue to live with their parents until they are full three 
years old; then pair off, build a house for themselves, and 
begin to breed. Yet sometimes, and not uncommonly, if 
they are undisturbed and have plenty of provisions, they 
will continue longer with the old ones, and breed in the 
same house. 
“Whether they do or do not make use of their tails as 
trowels to plaster their houses with, I cannot say, though 
I am inclined to believe they do not; because their tail is 
so heavy, and the tendons of it so weak, though numerous, 
that I do not think they can use it to that effect; and that 
therefore they daub the earth on with their hands, for I 
must call them so. When they dive, they give a smack 
on the water with their tails as they go down; but that 
appears to me to proceed from the tail falling over with 
its own weight. They move very slowly on land, and 
being also a very cowardly creature, are easily killed there 
by any man or beast that chances to meet with them: yet, 
being defended by long fur, and a thick skin, and armed 
with long strong teeth, firmly set in very strongjaws, they 
are capable of making a stout resistance. I have heard 
of an old one, which cut the leg of a dog nearly off at one 
stroke, and I make not the least doubt of the truth of the 
information. Still I have been informed, that otters will 
enter their houses and kill them; but I believe it must 
only be the young ones, when the old ones are from home; 
for I hardly think that an old Beaver would suffer itself to 
be killed by an otter. 
“ These creatures begin to grow fat after the middle of 
July, are in tolerable case by the end of August, and by 
the end of September are at their best, provided they have 
good living, and are not disturbed. Those which feed 
upon brouze, particularly on birch, are the most delicious 
eating of any animal in the known world; but the flesh of 
those which feed upon the root of the water-lilly, although 
it makes them much fatter than any other food, has a strong 
taste, and is very unpleasant. After Christmas they begin 
to decline, and by May are commonly poor; in these par- 
ticulars they resemble the porcupine, as they do in many 
other respects. 
“ Buffon and others say, that they make use of their tails 
as sleds to draw stones and earth upon: I cannot contra- 
dict their assertions, as I have never seen these ani- 
mals work; but I do not believe it, because, their tails 
being thickest at the root and down the centre part, it 
would be almost impossible for them to keep a stone on it, 
unless held there by another. Nor have I ever observed, 
that they had taken any stones off the ground; but they 
bring them from the sides and bottoms of the water, and 
must make use of their hands for those purposes, as they 
could easier shove and roll them along, than draw them on 
their tails: besides, the skin of the under part of the tail 
would be rubbed off by the friction on the ground; which 
never yet has been observed to be the case with them, and 
is a stronger proof, that they never do make use of them 
for that purpose. Those who compare this account with 
the writings of Buffon and others, will find a great differ- 
ence, but it must be remembered, that they wrote entirely 
from hearsay, and I, from experience chiefly. — Cart- 
wright's Journal of Transactions on the Coast of La- 
brador, J2. D. 1783 . 
“ The Indians inhabiting the countries watered by the 
tributaries of the Missouri and Mississippi, take the Beavers 
principally by trapping, and are generally supplied with 
steel-traps by the traders, who do not sell, but lend or 
hire them, in order to keep the Indians dependant upon 
themselves, and also to lay claim to the furs which 
they may procure. The name of the trader being stamped 
on the trap, it is equal to a certificate of enlistment, and 
indicates, when an Indian carries his furs to another trad- 
ing establishment, that the individual' wishes to avoid the 
payment of his debts. The business of trapping requires 
great experience and caution, as the senses of the Beaver 
are very keen, and enable him to detect the recent pre- 
sence of the hunter by the slightest traces. It is neces- 
sary that the hands should be washed clean before the 
trap is handled and baited, and that every precaution 
should be employed to elude the vigilance of the animal. 
“ The bait which is used to entice the Beaver is pre- 
pared from the substance called castor ( castoreum ,) ob- 
tained from the glandulous pouches of the male animal, 
which contain sometimes from two to three ounces. This 
substance is called by the hunters bark- stone, and is 
squeezed gently into an open-mouthed phial. 
“The contents of five or six of these castor bags are 
mixed with a nutmeg, twelve or fifteen cloves, and thirty 
grains of cinnamon, in fine powder, and then the whole is 
stirred up with as much whiskey as will give it the con- 
sistency of mustard prepared for the table. This mixture 
must be kept closely corked up, and in four or five days 
the odour becomes more powerful; with care it may be 
preserved for months without injury. Various other 
strong aromatics are sometimes used to increase the pun- 
gency of the odour. Some of this preparation, smeared 
upon the bits of wood with which the traps are baited, 
will entice the Beaver from a great distance. 
“ The different appearances of the fur, caused by age, 
