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any known water, both in woods and in plains. In winter, if pursued in the woods where the snow is light and deep, they will burrow and make considerable way under it but they may be easily traced by the motion of the snow above them and overtaken. The Indians kill many of them with clubs; but some of the old ones are so fierce that when closely pressed they will turn and fly at the pursuer. They are said to be very fond of play; and Hearne tells us that one of their favourite pastimes is to get on a high ridge of snow, bend their fore-feet backward, and slide down the side of it, sometimes to the distance of twenty yards.

In the marshes of Guiana otters are very numerous they herd together near the banks of rivers, and are so fierce that it is not safe to approach them. Those of Cayenne are very large, weighing from ninety to one hundred pounds; they are of a dark brown colour, and their fur is fine, soft, and short.

THE BEAVER.

THE aspect of this animal conveys no impression of the extraordinary sagacity which has been attributed to it. The body is about three feet long; and the tail, which distinguishes it from all other quadrupeds, being of an oval form, nearly flat, except on the upper surface, where it is slightly convex, destitute of hair, but covered with scales, like those of a fish, is about a foot in length and three inches broad. Its ears are short, its nose blunt; its fore-feet are small, but the hinder large and strong, with membranes connecting the toes, as in water-fowl. The body is covered with a thick soft fur, which is in general of a deep chesnut colour, but sometimes quite black, white, cream-coloured, and spotted. The cutting teeth of the beaver are remark

able for their size and strength, which enable it to gnaw down trees of considerable magnitude with incredible facility.

The extraordinary instincts of the beaver, in its natural state, have furnished one of the most attractive subjects of Natural History; but it is now certain that much that is false and exaggerated has found its way into the descriptions of the habits of this animal. This exaggeration may be referred to unavoidable causes. The species are extremely timid and vigilant, and invariably labour in the nighttime; hence few persons competent to observe them accurately have had opportunity of doing So. Our information on this subject is chiefly derived from the fur-traders and Indians; ignorant and credulous men, deceiving themselves and deceiving others. The account of the animal recently given by Dr. Godman, Professor of Natural History in the Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania, in the second volume

of his Natural History, is calculated to correct many of those misapprehensions which formerly prevailed respecting the beaver. From that source the following particulars are derived.

In a state of nature, the instincts of the beavers are exerted for two principal objects; to secure such a depth of water that it cannot be frozen to the bottom; and to construct huts for their winter habitations.

If the beavers choose for their residence a spot where the water is not of sufficient depth, they set about obviating the inconvenience by building a dam. The materials used in the construction of dams are the trunks and branches of small birch, willow, poplar, mulberry, and other trees. They begin to cut down their timber for building early in the summer, but they do not begin building till the middle or end of August, and their edifices are not finished until the beginning of the cold season. The strength of their teeth, and their

perseverance in this work, may be estimated by the age of the trees which they cut down. Dr. Godman saw, on the banks of the Little Miami river, several stumps of trees, five or six inches in diameter, which had evidently been felled by these animals, and they have even been found of the diameter of eight inches. In the neighbourhood of a beaverdam, the number of trees which have been cut down is truly surprising, and the regularity of the stumps which are left, might lead persons unacquainted with the habits of the animal to believe that the clearing was the effect of human industry.

The trees are cut in such a manner as to fall into the water, and then floated towards the site of the dam and dwellings. Small shrubs cut at a distance from the water are dragged in their teeth to the stream, and towed to the spot. The form of the dam varies according to circumstances. If the