1. Beafts of different genus from any known in the old world; of which are the Opoffum, the Racoon, the Quickhatch, &c.

2. Beasts of the fame genus, but of different fpecies from the eastern continent, of which are

3. Beafts which are the fame on both continents, viz.

The MAMMOTH is not found in the civilized parts of America. It is conjectured, however, that he was carniverous, and that he ftill exifts on the north of the Lakes. Their tusks, grinders, and skeletons of uncommon magnitude, have been found at the falt licks, on the Ohio, in New-Jerfey, and other places. The Indians have a tradition handed down from their fathers refpecting these animals, That in ancient times a herd of them came to the Big-bone licks, and began an univerfal deftruction of the bears, deer, elks, buffaloes, and other animals which had been created for the ufe of the Indians: that the Great Man above, looking down and feeing this, was fo enraged that he feized his lightning, defcended to the earth, feated himfelf upon a neighbouring mountain, on a rock, on which his feat and the print of his feet are ftill to be feen, and hurled his bolts among them till the whole were flaughtered, except the big bull, who prefenting his forehead to the fhafts, fhook them off as they fell; but at length mifing one, it wounded him in the fide; whereon, fpringing round, he bounded over the Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois, and finally over the great lakes where he is living at this day.'

European naturalifts have fuppofed from the bones of this remarkable animal, that it is the fame with the Elephant; others, that it anfwers to the hippopotamus or river horfe; the tutk and fkeletons have been afcribed to the former, while the grinders have been given to the latter. But Mr. Jefferfon obferves, that the fkeleton of the Mammoth (for fo the incognitum has been called) befpeaks an animal of five or fix times the cubic volume of the elephant, as Monfieur de Buffon has admitted; and that the grinders are five times as large as thofe of the elephant, and quite of a dif

E 4

ferent

ferent shape, and adds that the elephant is a native only of the torrid zone and its vicinities, and that no bones of the mammoth has ever been found further fouth than the falines of Holfton river, a branch of the Taniffee, about the latitude 36° 30' north, and as far north as the arctic circle. The mammoth, then, cannot be the fame animal as the elephant. The OPOSSUM is an animal of a diftinct genus, and therefore has little refemblance to any other creature. It is about the fize of a common cat, which it resembles in fome degree as to its body; its legs are fhort, the feet are formed like those of a rat, as are its ears; the fnout and head are long like the hog's; the teeth like thofe of a dog; its boly is covered thinly with long briftly whitifh hair; its tail is long, fhaped like that of a rat without hair. But what is most remarkable in this creature, and which diftinguishes it from all others, is its falfe belly, which is formed by a fkin or membrane, (inclofing the dugs) which it opens and clofes at will. In this falfe belly the young are concealed in time of danger. Though contrary to the laws of natur, it is believed by many, that thefe animals are bred at the teats of their dams. It is a fact, that the young ones have been many times feen, not larger than the head of a large pin, faft fixed and hanging to the teats in the falfe belly. In this ftate their members are diftinctly visible; they appear like an embryo clinging to the teats. By conftant obfervation they have been found to grow into a perfect fœtus; and in proper time they drop off into the falfe belly, where they remain fecure till they are capable of providing for themfelves. From thefe circumftances it feems that the opoflum is produced, in a manner, out of the common courfe of nature. But it appears from the diffection of one of them by Dr. Tyfon, that their ftructure is fuch as is fitted for generation, like that of other animals; and of courfe he fuppofes that they must neceffarily be bred and excluded in the fame way as other quadrupeds. But by what method the dam, after exclufion, fixes them on her teats, if this be the manner of production, is a fecret yet unknown.

The BUFFALO is larger than an ox; high on the fhoulders; and deep through the breast. The flesh of this animal is equal in goodness to beef; its fkin makes good leather, and its hair, which is of a woolly kind, is manufactured into a tolerably good cloth.

The TYGER of America refembles, in fhape, thofe of Afia and Africa, but is confiderably fmaller; nor does it appear to be fo fierce and ravenous as they are. The colour of it is a darkifu yellow, and is entirely free from frots.

The CAT of the MOUNTAIN refembles a common cat, but is of a much larger fize. Its hair is of a reddish or orange colour, interfperfed with fpots of black. This animal is exceedingly fierce, though it will feldom attack a man.

The ELK is fhaped like a deer, but is confiderably larger, being equal in bulk to a horfe. The horns of this creature grow to a prodigious fize, extending fo wide, that two or three perfons might fit between them at the fame time. But what is still more remarkable is, that thefe horns are thed every year, in the month of February, and by Auguft, the new opes are nearly at their full growth.

The

The Moose is about the fize of the elk, and its horns almost as large. Like the elk, it sheds its horns annually. Though this creature is of the deer kind, it never herds as do deer in general. Its flesh is exceedingly good food, eafy of digeftion, and very nourishing. Its skin, as well as that of the elk, is valuable, making, when dreffed, good leather.

The CARRABOU is fomething like the moofe in fhape, though not nearly fo tall. Its flesh is exceedingly good; its tongue in particular is in high esteem. Its fkin, being fmooth and free from veins, is valuable.

The CARCAJOU is a creature of the cat kind, and is a terrible enemy to the elk, and to the carrabou, as well as to the deer. He either comes upon them unperceived from fome concealment, or climbs up into a tree, and taking his ftation on fome of the branches, waits till one of them takes fhelter under it; when he faftens upon his neck, and opening the jugular vein, foon brings his prey to the ground. The only way of efcape is flying immediately to the water, for as the carcajou has a great diflike to that element, he will leave his prey rather than enter it.

The SKUNK is the most extraordinary animal the American woods produce. It is of the fame fpecies with the pole-cat, for which, though different from it in many refpects, and particularly in being of a lets fize, it is frequently mistaken. Its hair is long and thining, of a dirty white, mixed in fome places with black. Its tail is long and bufhy like that of the fox. It lives chiefly in woods and hedges, and is poffeffed of extraordinary powers, which however are exerted only when it is purfued. On fuch an occafion, it ejects from behind a small stream of water, of fo fubtle a nature, and fo powerful a fmell, that the air is tainted with it to a furprizing distance. On this account the animal is called by the French Enfant du Diable, the Child of the Devil, or Bête Puante, the Stinking Beaft. The water which this creature emits in its defence, is generally fuppofed by naturalifts to be its urine; but Mr. Carver, who hot and diffected many of them, declares that he found, near the urinal veffels, a finali receptacle of water, totally diftinct from the bladder, from which he was fatisfied the horrid ftench proceeded. The fat of the fkunk, when externally applied, is a powerful emollient, and its flefh, when drefled without being tainted by its fetid water, is fweet and good.

Its

The PORCUPINE or HEDGE-HOG is about the fize of a small dog, though it is neither fo long nor fo tall. Its fhape refembles that of a fox, excepting its head, which is fomething like the head of a rabbit. body is covered with quills of about four inches in length, moft of which ar, excepting at the point, of the thickness of a ftraw. Thefe quills the porcupine darts at his enemy, and if they pierce the flesh in the least degree, they will fink quite through it, and are not to be extracted without incifion. The Indians ufe thefe quills for boring their ears and nofes to infert their jewels, and alfo by way of ornament to their flockings, hair, &c.

The Woon CHUCK is a ground animal of the fur kind, about fifteen inches long; its body is round, and its legs fhort; its fore paws are broad, and conftructed for the purpofe of digging holes in the ground, in which it burrows; its flesh is tolerable food,

The

The RACOON is an animal of a genus different from any known on the eastern continent. Its head is much like a fox's, only its ears are fhorter, more round, and more naked. It alfo refembles that animal in its hair, which is thick, long, and foft; and in its body and legs, excepting that the former is larger, and the latter both larger and fhorter. Acrofs its face runs a broad itripe including its eyes, which are large. Its fnout is black, and roundish at the end, like that of a dog; its teeth alfo are fimilar to thofe of the dog, both in number and fhape; the tail is long and round, with annular ftripes on it; the feet have five long flender toes, armed with fharp claws, by which it is enabled to climb trees, and run to the extremities of the boughs. Its fore feet ferve it instead of hands, like thofe of the monkey.

The last quadruped which fhall be particularly defcribed, is the BEAVER. This is an amphibious animal, which cannot live for any long time in the water, and it is faid can exift without it, provided it has the convenience of fometimes bathing itfelf. The largest beavers are nearly four feet in length, about fourteen or fifteen inches in breadth over the haunches, and weigh fifty or fixty pounds. The head of this animal is large; its fnout long; its eyes fmall; its ears fhort, round, hairy on the outfide, and fmooth within; of its teeth, which are long, broad, ftrong, and fharp, the under ones ftand out of its mouth about the breadth of three fingers, and the upper about half a finger. Befides thefe teeth, which are called incifors, beavers have fixteen grinders, eight on each fide, four above and four below, directly oppofite to each other. With the former they are able to cut down trees of a confiderable fize, with the latter to break the hardest fubítances. Their legs are fhort, particularly the fore legs, which are only four or five inches long. The toes of the fore feet are feparate; thofe of the hind feet have membranes between them. In confequence of this they can walk, though but flowly, while they fwim as cafily as any aquatic animals. Their tails fomewhat refemble thofe of fish, and thefe, and their hind fcct, are the only parts in which they do not resemble land animals. Their colour is different according to the different climates which they inhabit. In the molt northern parts, they are generally quite black; in more temperate, brown; their colour becoming lighter and lighter as they approach towards the fouth. Their fur is of two forts all over their bodies. That which is longeft is generally about an inch long, though on the back it fometimes extends to two inches, gradually fhortening towards the head and tail. This part is coarfe and of little ufe. The other part of it confifls of a very thick and fine down, of about three quarters of an inch long, fo foft that it feels like filk, and is that which is commonly manufactured. Calter, fo useful in medicine, is produced from the body of the beaver. It was formerly believed to be his tefticles, but late difcoveries have fhewn that it is contained in four bags in the lower belly.

The ingenuity of the beavers in building their cabins, and in providing themfelves fubfifience, is truly wonderful. When they are about to choose a habitation, they affemble in companies, fometimes of two or three hundred, and after mature deliberation, fix on a place where plenty of provifions, and all neceflaries are to be found. Their houfes are al ways fituated in the water, and when they can find neither lake nor

poad,

pond convenient, they fupply the defect by ftopping the current of fome brook or fmall river. For this purpofe they felect a number of trees, carefully taking thofe above the place where they intend to build, that they may fwim down with the current, and placing themfelves by threes or fours round each tree, foon fell them. By a continuation of the fame labour, they cut the trees into proper lengths, and rolling them into the water, navigate them to the place where they are to be ufed. After this they conftruct a dam with as much folidity and regularity as the most experienced workman could do. The formation of their cabins is no lefs remarkable. Thefe cabins are built either on piles in the middle of the pond they have formed, on the bank of a river, or at the extremity of fome point of land projecting into a lake. The figure of them is round or oval. Two-thirds of each of them rifes above the water, and this part is large enough to contain eight or ten inhabitants. They are contiguous to each other, fo as to allow an eafy communication. Each beaver has his place affigned him, the floor of which he curioufly ftrews with leaves, rendering it clean and comfortable. The winter never furprizes thefe animals before their bufinefs is completed; for their houfes are generally finished by the laft of September, and their flock of provifions laid in, which confifts of fmall pieces of wood difpofed in fuch manner as to preferve its moisture.

Upwards of one hundred and thirty American BIRDS have been enumerated, and many of them defcribed by Catefby, Jefferfon and Carver. The following catalogue is inferted to gratify the curious, to inform the inquifitive, and to fhew the aftonishing variety in this beautiful part of