286 
BEAVER. 
the nature of their flesh. That of the anterior part 
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 the other 
qualities of fish. The tail, which is a foot long, 
an inch thick, and five or six inches broad, is even 
an extremity, or genuine proportion of a fish at- , 
tached to the body of a quadruped : it is entirely 
covered with scales, and with a skin perfectly simi- 
lar to that of large fishes. The scales may be 
scraped off with a knife, and after falling they leave 
an impression on the skin, which is the case with all 
fishes.” 
The two animals differ in depth of colour, one 
being of a much darker brown than the other, though 
in both the shades grow lighter towards the tail and 
belly. 
These creatures, although confined so long in a 
space less than six feet square, have not forgotten 
their old instinctive habits, but busy themselves in 
peeling the bark from a few willow branches which 
the keeper occasionally throws into a trough of water 
for their use. 
