beaver. 
rows, wattling each row with pliant twigs, and fill¬ 
ing the interfaces with clay, ramming it down clofe. 
The fide next the water is doped ; the other per¬ 
pendicular. The bottom is' from ten to twelve feet 
thick but the thicknefs gradually diminifnes to the 
top, which is about two or three. The length of 
thefe darns is fbmetimes not lefs than a hundred feet. 
Their houfes are made in the water collected by 
means of the dam, and are placed near the edge of 
the fhore, They are built on piles ; are either round 
or oval 5 but the tops are vaulted ; fo that their in- 
fide refembles an oven, the top a dome. The walls 
are two feet thick; made of earth, flones and flicks, 
moft artificially layed together; and the walls within 
as neatly plaiflered as if with a trowel. In each 
houfe are two openings ; one into the water, the 
other towards the land. The height of thefe houfes 
above the water is eight feet. They often make two 
or three {lories in each dwelling, for the convenience 
of change, in cafe of floods. Each houfe contains 
from two to thirty beavers; and the number of 
houfes in each pond is from ten to twenty-five. Each 
beaver forms its bed of mofs; and each family 
forms its magazine of winter provifion, which com 
fifts of bark and boughs of trees. This they lodge 
under water, and fetch it into their apartments as 
their wants require. Lawfon fays they are fondeft 
of the faffafras , afh, and fweet-gum. Their fum- 
mer food is leaves, fruits, and fometimes crabs and 
craw-fifh; but they are not fond of fifh. 
To effedt thefe works, a community of two or 
three hundred affembles; each bears his lhare in the 
labor: 
