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Show 152 MAMMALIA. extremi·t i·e s of the upper row ' and three at the external ; in the lowep ones it is exactly the reverse. . . . . Beavers are 1a r ge animals ' whose. hfe I. S completely . aqua. tic; thet.r feet an d tal·1 a'id th em equally in sw1m. m.m g.. As the1r chtef food 1s bark, an d o the r hard substances ' their mc1sors are very powerful, and grow as rap1'd ly from the root, as they are worn. aw. ay at the pom. t. W'I th tl1 ese teeth they cut trees o.f every descr1pt10n. Large g1 a n d u1 a r pouches which termmate on . the pdre' p·u ce pro-h. hl odorous oily substance, employed m me 1cme under duce a tg Y · • b 1 · the name of aa s t or. T he organs of generatiOn m ot. 1 sexes te.r mt· nate m· t h e ex. t re m1'ty of the rectum, so that there IS but a smgle external opening. C• fib er, B uf f. VIII, xxxvi. (The Beaver..) Lar.g er th. an the Bad ~~ m d of all quadrupeds the most md. ustnous I.n con· struc tm. g a dwe111'ng, to effect which these ammals act m con· cert. They are found in the most solitary parts of North America. . Beavers choose water of such a depth as is not hkely to be frozen to the bottom, and, as far as possible, running strea~s, 'n order that the wood which they cut above, may be carr1ed ~own wards by the current to the spot where it is to be used. They keep the water at an equal height, by dams composed or branches of trees, .mixed with clay and stones, the strength or which is annually increased, and which finally, by the progress of vegetation, becomes converted into a hedge. Each .hut serves for two or three families, and consists of two stortes; the upper is dry for the residence of the animals, and the low~r under water for their stores of bark, &c. The latter alon~ IS open and the entrance is under water, having no commumca· tion ~ith the land. The huts are a kind of rude wicker-work, being made of interwoven branches and twigs of trees plastered with mud. There are always several burrows along the bank, in which they seek for shelter when their huts are att~cked. They only reside in these habitations during the winter; 10 the summer they separate, and live solitarily. The Beaver may ~e easily tamed, and accustomed to feed on am. ma1 matters.. !tiSII of a uniform reddish brown colour, and the fur, as 15 wed known, is in great demand for hatters. It is sometimes foun flaxen coloured, at others black, or even white. Notwithstanding we have carefully compared t h e Beaver!d which burrow along the banks of the Rhone, the Danube, a; the W eser, with those of North America, we are unable to e· termine whether the former are distinct species, or are pre· vented from building by the vicinity of man. RODENTIA. 153 MYoPOTAMus, Commer. The Couias resemble the Beaver in size, in their fournearly similarly composed molars, in their powerful yellow-tinted incisors, and in their five-toed feet, the hinder ones of which are palmated; but their tail is round and elongated. They are aquatic animals also. One only is known, the M. coipus; Mus coipus, Molin., Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI, pl. xx.xv. (The Couia.) Which lives in burrows along the banks ofrivers throughout a great part of South America. The fur, which is of a yellowish grey, mixed with down at the root, is employed by the hatters like that of the Beaver, and is consequently an important article of commerce. Thousands of their skins are sent to Europe. H YSTRix, Lin. The Porcupines are known at the first glance by the stiff and shat·p spines, or quills (as they are called) with which they are armed, like the Hedgehogs among the Carnaria. Their grinders are four throughout, with flat crowns, variously modified by plates of enamel, between which are depressed intervals. Their tongue is bristled with spiny scales, and their clavicles are too small to rest upon the sternum and scapula, being merely suspended by ligaments. They live in burrows, and have many of the habits of Rabbits. To their grunting voice, and thick truncated muzzle, are they indebted for being compared to the Pig, and for their corresponding French appellation of pore-epic. PoRcUPINEs, properly so called, Have the head more or less convex or vaulted, by the development ofthe bones of the nose. They have four toes before, and five be· hind, all armed with stout nails. H. cristata, L.; Buff. XII, pl. li and Iii. (The Common Porcupine.) Inhabits the south of Italy, Spain, and Sicily; it is also found in Barbary. The spines are very long, and annulatcd with black and white; a mane composed of long hairs occupies the head and neck. The tail is short, and furnished with hollow truncated tubes, suspended to slender pedicles, which make a noise when shaken by the animal. The chanfrin of the bony head is extt·emely convex. There are other species not very different, but with a less convex head, in India and in Africa. We separate from tl~e true Porcupines the VoL. I.-u |