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i l i l i l l I L H sfi buildin g of
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N A T U R A L H I S T 0 R Y o f N O R W A f .
si.Ë, ©. T, XV.
Baevèr, Gaftor, a Beaver, 'is* an ampMibidfe animal!it lives1 in
water as well as on land, and feeks its food 'generally in ftill
or gently f dnning water. It is found in'this corintry moftly^iri
Solloer, • Ofterdalen, and Jemteland. . Its fhape is like a dongbodied
dog, with fhort legs, a fhort and flat - head, final 1 -ï®|iï<i
ears arid eyes, a large, thick, and finooth tail, eotififtingbfimany
joints;1 This part-of the Beaver lome call a delicate difh ; the
Roman Catholicka reckon it as fifh, riot meat, though the reft of
the croatuté is allowed to be flefh.
On this' éré&fuïëPisu*bag, iri Which is ïhh-prëëioffis'ckftcè'ëlm,
or caftor of the (hops : : with this., and with°his fine dark pfdwii
fkin,-: is carried on a eonfiderable trade at Elyfcrutris fair. That
which 0 Ihalliri this part-of mi^^wdrk1 edd^vöuri'td dk^lairi$.dft
fully] Is what'%^on^s: to livin^’-'creatures-] with refpeéF4 fb %hèir
drift, ihftinéty" or inclinations, which they lèvefally ^firtain
things; concerning their conlèrvationy arid whèreiri they leem
to aSt with a moft cautious refleöion, or devilè' Jmore ' than
one could think orexpedh In iib part of the freatife can I hive
occafiori to-be more particular in -this rëfpèöt, than in peaking
of the Beaver, èlpéeially otf the lubjSll: of '^P^fipafiri^Sskabi-
tation f ori account of :his aft in this, in the kiftgdotxróTbeafts^Kó
deferves the title of maftèr-büilder. The manner ‘|S%hr#i*fftë
Beaver before-mentioned • has a great tail, 'which:weighs • fevéral
pourids: this is of the filh kind and-quality; in that- degree
that it carinöt bear to be long together-1 out1 of the water. I t
has over the Ikin a kind of filh-lcales, and1 the-hinder legs'have
flat goofeJike feet, and are .of thefame flefhy jiatdre. • • For this
realbri the Béaver muft build in fuêh manner,* that - he ‘can always
have his hind part hanging in the water ‘in lome' place which f is
kept open all Winter, that he may continually throw his tail
forwards ‘arid backwards in the free water';
He cannot always be furebf this advantage, as the water
rifes - and falls. For this reafbny'to preferve; his health, and-fait
his eoriyéniencefhe .builds always at the fide of a water’a wooden
houfè, thrëë ftories high, and regularly railed above one another,
like a little tower;; Where he arid *his mate have each their
feparate lodging and Bed. To fell the trees for building of . thele
holies, or to repair;them when they happen to be deftroy’d by ac-
dent, the. great and wile Greator has furniftièd this Iiftle animal
with a tooth, which feeiris rirtpropbrtionably large; it is | of a
finger’s length, and leerns as if .ground lharp at the end, not
unlike
N A T U R A L HI ST O R Y of N O R W A Y .
unlike a boarfs-tuflc f ’tkbôf 'a^iÿwmy or yeffihw colour ; • with
this, as- With* a final!.âXÿ -the Beaver fèlfô-any*'kind of tre'es]-|ririd
prepares the wood''fbf'ftHé' * joices ^ he fits''all together,'and then
lay’s them, or fixfes- .them over onMfanother4, lo that thby wont
eafily fall. After this) to îfrâhfport ' thelè building material's/ to
the Ipot,' he ufèsTa Etioft‘-'fu#prififlg'Uddrefs, as I am affur’d by
mariy. who ’ have been witri'efs " It is this. A rihmber aïe
employed on" this- work together ; and" one will fuffer himfelf 'to
be ufèd asrk cart, Lwhièh the others, Uker horlësÿ take hcftd' of;
fafteningfon'himbÿ the neck,fahd dragging him along ; for this’pur-
pble he firft throws himfelf'on hisVback, with'his' legs up,'bet;wèen
which th^y. lrip t heir alreadjb.fitterd ând' p'répà'rfed riteberj'Mrid in
that manner'bring it to thb fpot' where the 1 building to be
ereâed,. one load after the other * ; -but this' -always1-%bfts''thé“firn;
a bare "back, for it takes all thè hair off; which-hair^ândcâftoreurri
are the two valuable things foundjo^ this, creature'^ The hair nr
fur-,* i'ribs' well known, is üfed* fbr the fineft mtsf * as %'eTI as”’for
.a very light ;àudyfoft 'fort of cloth.
| . S E"ë; T. , (XYI.
•The:Otter,1 Oddefy à well-known créature, which hot a little0“"»
refembles 'the beaver, and lives upon all forts of fifh : they' are
found in Norway, ; both in felt and frefh waters'; they live i&
holes betwixt the rocks ; from whence the huntfmari decoys theifii]
by imitating the Vôiee of their mates. They1 Ire ve'fy nice, fend
' will only eat the-fâtifeft fifn1: the eagle and'rirbwi wait upon the
Otter to take his leavings ; - uglefs fit '•be. a’ young. Otter/ and then
the eagle drives him away from-hisprey;{j ' Thefe èreaturesÿ when
young, rriay^ertamed arid ufed to a houfe, by feeding them with
milk, daily fifhers'for their mafter ; they’ll
gojorit on command, and'bring in one fifh after the other to the
kitchen. This a wery Creditable man in this neighbourhood has
'.■ •I- .Something of this kindis.ïHatedof the known Maramots, Marmotia or Murnfier*
dyr, in afpeft fometjiirÿ feke a cat. The learned cardinal* Polignaç afcribes, perhaps,
to them]; ifi. his Antilucretios, .»Isita* "VH. latefy’buhljffied] wh&reil{Ktf rebates,
that in,à civil war betwixt them, thet c.opqueted,prifoners, afer ffl^jxirq' belli, are
fenrciicëü to’ .be flaves'to the conqueror aftd’ particularly to be ufed for .waggons, td
bripgchoxne .thpir hayiand winter provifion 5 ih. the fame manner and f>ofitk>n a? juf|
relâted of the Beaver. 'y f
fSlBtotinitslad. meiîfem ducùM fervàta fereridam ■
Mancipia, ^prffque folum premere atqu*e}fupmisv
îâi^èrporibuSv tutrf.qjura&bent attoUere furfunv . j* " 1 ’ .
: "Quatuor ereftisperitent, ut gramîria; palis I
■ Ifme bne.rant caudaque trahunc animantia plauflra;
.E^afoque vias miferorum tergore verrunt,
tried,