CAS 
CAS 
CAT 
cated and excavated with a transverse angle ; 
in the lower jaw transverse at the tips ; 
grinders on each side tour ; tail long, depress- 
ed and scaly ; collar-bones in the skeleton. 
1 . Castor fiber, or common beaver, is a na- 
tive of the most northern parts of Europe 
and Asia, but is found most plentifully in 
North America. It is readily distinguished 
from every other quadruped (see Plate 
Natural Hist. fig. 95.) by the remarkable 
structure of its tail, which is of an oval form, 
nearly flat, but rising into a slight convexity 
on its upper surface, perfectly void of hair, 
except at the base, and marked out into scaly 
divisions like the skin of a fish. The general 
length of the beaver is about three feet, and of 
the tail nearly one foot. The colour of the 
animal is a deep chesnut, and the hair is very 
fine, smooth, and glossy. The beaver, like 
other quadrupeds, sometimes varies in colour, 
and is occasionally found perfectly black. 
Of all quadrupeds the beaver is considered 
as possessing the greatest degree of natural 
or instinctive sagacity in constructing its ha- 
bitation; preparing, in concert with others of 
its own species, a kind of arched caverns or 
domes, supported by a foundation of strong 
pillars, and lined or plaistered internally with 
a degree of neatness and accuracy unequalled 
by the art of any other quadruped. 
The favourite resorts of the beaver are re- 
tired watery, and woody, situations. In such 
places the animals assemble, to the number of 
some hundreds ; living in a kind of families, 
and building their arched mansions or recep- 
tacles. 
They begin to assemble in the month of 
June or July, for the purpose of uniting into 
society. They arrive in numbers from all 
J iarts, and soon form a troop of two or three 
Kindred. The place of rendezvous is 
generally the situation fixed for their establish- 
ment, and always on the banks of some water. 
If the waters are flat, and never rise above 
their, ordinary level, as in lakes, the beavers 
make no bank or dam ; but in river's or brooks, 
where the waters are subject to risings and 
fallings, they construct a bank, anu 'by this 
artifice form a pond or piece of water, which 
remains always at the same height. The 
bank traverses the river, from one side to the 
other, like a sluice, and- is often from eighty 
to a hundred feet long, -by ten or twelve broad 
at the base. This pile, for animals of so Small 
a size, appears to be enormous, and supposes 
an incredible labour ; but the solidity with 
which the work is constructed is still more 
astonishing than its magnitude. The part of 
the river where they erect this bank is ge- 
nerally shallow. If they find on the margin a 
large tree, which can be made to fall into the 
water, they begin with cutting it down, to 
form the principal part of their work. This 
tree is often thicker than the body of a man. 
By gnawing the foot of a tree with their four 
cutting teeth they accomplish their purpose 
in a very short time, and always make the tree 
fall across the river. They next cut the 
branches from the trunk, to make it lie level. 
These operations are performed by the whole 
community. Several beavers are employed 
in gnawing the foot of the tree, and others in 
lopping off the branches after it has fallen. 
Others, at the same time, traverse the banks of 
the river, and cut down smaller trees from the 
size of a man’s leg to that of his thigh. These 
they dress and cut to a certain length, to 
Vol. I. 
make stakes of them, and first drag them by 
land to the margin of the river, and then by 
water to the place where the building is car- 
rying on. These piles they sink down, and 
interweave the branches with the larger stakes. 
Whilst some are labouring in this manner, 
others bring earth, which they plash with their 
fore feet, and transport in such quantities, 
that they fill with it all the intervals between 
the piles. These piles consist of several rows of 
stakes, of equal height, all placed opposite to 
each other, and extend from one bank of the 
river to the other. The stakes facing the un- 
der part of the river are placed perpendicu- 
larly ; but the rest of the work slopes upwards 
to sustain the pressure of the fluid, so that the 
bank, which is ten or twelve feet wide at the 
base, is reduced to two or three at the top. 
The first great structure is made with a 
view to render their smaller habitations more 
commodious. These cabins or houses are 
built upon piles near the margin of the pond, 
and have two openings, the one for going on 
the land, and the other for throwing them- 
selves into the water. The form of the edi- 
fices is either oval or round, some of them 
larger, and some less, varying from four to 
five, to eight or ten feet diameter. Some of 
them consist of three or four stories, and 
their walls are about two feet thick, raised 
perpendicularly upon planks, or plain stakes, 
which serve both for foundations and floors to 
their houses. They are built with amazing 
solidity, and neatly plaistered both without 
and within. They are impenetrable to rain, 
and resist the most impetuous winds. The 
partitions are covered with a kind of stucco, 
as nicely plastered as it it had beenexecutedby 
the hand ot man. In the application of this 
mortar their tails serve for trowels, and their 
feet for plaistering. They employ different 
materials, as wood, stone, and a kind of sandy 
earth, which is not subject to dissolution in 
water. r l hey labour in a sitting posture ; 
and besides the convenience of this situation, 
they enjoy the pleasure of gnawing perpe- 
tually the bark and wood, which are most 
agreeable to their taste ; for they prefer fresh 
bark and tender wood to most of their ordi- 
nary aliment. Of these provisions they lay 
up ample stores to support them during the 
winter ; but they are not font! of dry wood, 
and make occasional excursions during the 
winter season for fresh provisions in the fo- 
rests. It is in the water, or near their habi- 
tations, that they establish their magazines. 
Bach cabin lias its own magazine, propor- 
tioned to the number of its inhabitants, who 
have all a common right to the store, and 
never pillage their neighbours. Some vil- 
lages are composed of twenty or twenty-five 
cabins, but such establishments are rare ; and 
the common republic seldom exceeds ten or 
twelve families, each of which has its own 
quarter of the village, its own magazine, and 
its separate habitation. The smallest cabins 
contain two, four, or six; and the largest 
eighteen, twenty, and, it is alleged, some- 
times thirty, beavers. They are almost al- 
ways equally paired, there being the same 
number of females as of males. When 
danger approaches, they warn one another 
by striking their tail on the surface of the 
water, the noise of which is heard at a great 
distance, and resounds through all the vaults 
of their habitations. Each takes his par t ; 
some plunge into the lake ; others conceal 
311 
themselves within their walls, which can only 
be penetrated by the fire of heaven or the 
steel of man, and which no animal will at- 
tempt either to open cr overturn. They 
often swim a long way under the ice ; and it 
is then that they are most easily taken, by 
attacking the cabin on one band, and at the 
same time watching at a hole made at some 
distance, v. hither they are obliged to repair 
for the purpose of respiration. The continual 
habit of keeping their tail and posterior part 
in the water, appears to have changed the na- 
ture of their flesh. That of their anterior 
parts, as far as the reins, has the taste and 
consistence of the flesh of land animals ; but 
that of the tail and hinder parts has the odour 
and all other qualities of fish. 
Besides the associated beavers there are 
others that live solitary, and instead of con- 
structing caverns, or vaulted and plaistered 
receptacles, content themselves with forming 
holes in the banks of rivers. The fur of 
these, which are commonly termed terrier 
beavers, is considered as far less valuable 
than that of the associated animals. 
The beaver when taken young may rea- 
dily be tamed ; and in that state appears to 
be an animal of a g ntle disposition, but does 
not exhibit any symptoms of superior saga- 
city. 
2. Castor huidobrius, or Chili beaver. 
This is a species peculiar to South America, 
and is found in the very deep lakes and rivers 
of that country, and feeds principally on fish 
and crabs. Its length from nose to tail is 
about three feet: the head is of a squarish 
form, the eyes small, the ears rounded and 
short, and the snout obtuse ; in each jaw are 
two sharp and strong cutting teeth, and the 
grinders are like those of the common bea- 
ver. The bqdy is very broad, and covered, 
like the common beaver, with two sorts of 
hair ; the shortest or softest of which is supe- 
rior to that of most other quadrupeds, and 
is in high esteem with manufacturers, be- 
ing wrought into a kind of cloth which has 
the softness of velvet, and is also used in the 
manufacture of hats. It is a bold and even 
fierce animal, and has the power of conti- 
nuing a great while under water. It does 
not construct any regular habitation like the 
common beaver, nor does it afford any castor. 
The female is said to produce from two to 
three young at a birth. It is called in Chili 
by the name of guillino. 
Castor, in astronomy. See Gemini. 
CASTOREUM, castor, in the materia 
medica, is by many mistaken for the sper- 
matic matter of the animal, though, in fact, 
it is a peculiar secreted matter, contained in 
bags destined to receive it, in the manner of 
the musk and ciyet, yet situated differently in 
the animal. 
CASU ARINA, a genus of the monandria 
order, in the monoecia class of plants. The 
male has the calyx of the amentum ; the co- 
rolla a bipartite small scale. The female has 
a cal yx of the amentum, no corolla ; the style 
is bipartite. There are five species, natives 
of New South Wales. 
CAT. See Felis. 
Cat-ha rpings, in a ship, small ropes 
running in little blocks fr.om one side of the 
shrouds to the other, near the deck. Their 
use is to force the shrouds, and make them 
tawt, for the more security and safety of 
the masts. 
