It

learn, appeared to be cultivated only by the Hare Indians, and other tribes frequenting the borders of the Great Slave Lake, and the banks of the Mackenzie. It is too small and slight to serve as a beast of draught or other burden, and is consequently used solely in the chase. is an animal of a playful and affectionate disposition, easily conciliated by kindness. It has a mild countenance, a demure expression, a small head, slender muzzle, erect ears, and eyes somewhat oblique. Its legs are rather slender, the feet broad and hairy, the tail bushy, and for the most part curled over the right hip. It may be characterized as bearing the same near relation to the prairie wolf as the Esquimaux dog does to the great gray wolf of America. Indeed the whole of the canine republic in these parts of America are of very wolfish habits. For example, the larger dogs which our expedition purchased at Fort Franklin for the purposes of draught, were in the habit of pursuing the Hare Indian dogs in order to devour them; but the latter fortunately far outstripped the others in speed. A young puppy, which Dr Richardson purchased from the Hare Indians, became greatly attached to him, and when about seven months old, ran on the snow, by the side of his sledge, for 900 miles, without suffering from fatigue. "During this march it frequently, of its own accord, carried a small twig or one of my mittens for a mile or two; but although very gentle in manners, it showed little aptitude in learning any of the arts which the Newfoundland dogs so speedily acquire of fetching and carrying when ordered. This dog was killed and eaten by an Indian on the Saskatchawan, who pretended that he mistook it for a fox."

The flesh of dogs is much esteemed by the Canadian voyagers, and by several of the Indian tribes. The Chipewyans, however, who deem themselves descended from a dog, hold the practice of using it as an article of food in great abhorrence.

There are many species of fox in North America. The American red fox (Canis fulvus) inhabits the woody districts of the fur-countries, and from thence about 8000 of the skins are annually imported into England. Pennant, and many other authors of last century, regarded the species as identical with the common European kind; from which, however, it was shown by M. Palisot de Beauvois

to be quite distinct. The American species is distinguished by its longer and finer fur, and more brilliant colouring. Its cheeks are rounder-its nose thicker, shorter, and more truncated-its eyes are nearer to each other, and its feet are in general much more woolly beneath. The red fox has a finer brush, and is altogether a larger animal than the European; yet it does not possess the continuous speed of the latter; it seems to exhaust its strength almost at the first burst, and is then overtaken without much difficulty, either by a mounted huntsman or a wolf. The cross fox (C. decussatus), and the black or silver fox (C. argentatus), are considered by some as distinct species, while others, probably with greater correctness, view them in the light of local or accidental varieties. Besides these we may name as American species, the kit-fox (C. cinereo-argentatus), and the Arctic fox, commonly so called (C. lagopus). The latter occurs also in the Old World.

Several kinds of lynx inhabit North America; but we shall not here enter on their history.

We cannot, however, so slightly pass the beaver of these northern regions (Castor fiber, Americanus), one of the most valuable and noted of quadrupeds. Its description is contained in almost every book of natural history; and we shall therefore confine ourselves in this place to such particulars as illustrate its general habits. As the history of this animal given by Hearne has been characterized by competent authority as the most accurate which has yet been presented to the public, we shall here abridge it for the benefit of our readers.

As the beaver not only furnishes an excellent food, but is highly valuable for the sake of its skin, it naturally attracted the particular attention of the last-named traveller. The situation of beaver-houses was found to be various. When the animals are numerous, they inhabit lakes, ponds, and rivers, as well as those narrow creeks which connect the lakes together. Generally, however, they prefer flowing waters, probably on account of the advantages presented by the current in transporting the materials of their dwellings. They also prefer deepish water, no doubt because it affords a better protection from the frost. It is when they build in small creeks or rivers, the waters of which are liable to dry or be drained off, that they manifest that

beautiful instinct with which Providence has gifted them, -the formation of dams. These differ in shape according to their particular localities. When the water has little motion the dam is almost straight; when the current is considerable it is curved, with its convexity towards the stream. The materials made use of are drift-wood, green willows, birch, and poplars; also mud and stones intermixed in such a manner as must evidently contribute to the strength of the dam; but there is no particular method observed, except that the work is carried on with a regular sweep, and all the parts are made of equal strength. "In places which have been long frequented by beavers undisturbed, their dams, by frequent repairing, become a solid bank, capable of resisting a great force both of ice and water; and as the willow, poplar, and birch, generally take root and shoot up, they by degrees form a kind of regular planted hedge, which I have seen in some places so tall, that birds have built their nests among the branches."

The beaver-houses are built of the same materials as the dams; and seldom contain more than four old, and six or eight young ones. There is little order or regularity in their structure. It frequently happens that some of the larger houses are found to have one or more partitions, but these are only parts of the main building left by the sagacity of the beavers to support the roof; and the apartments, as some are pleased to consider them, have usually no communication with each other, except by water. Those travellers who assert that the beavers have two doors to their dwellings, one on the land side, and the other next the water, manifest, according to Hearne, even a greater ignorance of the habits of these animals, than those who assign to them an elegant suite of apartments,-for such a construction would render their houses of little use, either as a protection from their enemies, or as a covering from the winter's cold.

It is not true that beavers drive stakes into the ground when building their houses; they lay the pieces crosswise and horizontal; neither is it true that the woodwork is first finished and then plastered; for both houses and dams consist from the foundation of a mingled mass of mud and wood, mixed with stones when these can be procured. They carry the mud and stones between their

• Hearne's Journey to the Northern Ocean.