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 Tanissee, 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 resemblance 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 thofe of a rat, as are its ears; the fnout and head are long like the hog's; the teeth like those of a dog; its body is covered thinly with long briftly whitish hair; its tail is long, fhaped like that of a rat without hair. But what is moft remarkable in this creature, and which distinguishes it from all others, is its falfe belly, which is formed by a skin 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 nature, it is believed by many, that these 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, fast fixed and hanging to the teats in the falfe belly. In this ftate their members are diftinctly vifible; 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 opoffum is produced. in a manner, out of the common courfe of nature. But it appears from the diffection of one of them by Dr. Tyson, that their ftructure is fuch as is fitted for generation, like that of other animals; and of course he fupposes 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 shoulders; and deep through the breaft. 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, those of Asia 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 darkish yellow, and is entirely free. from fpots. 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 ftill more remarkable is, that these horns are fhed every year, in the month of February, and by Auguft, the new ones. are nearly at their full growth. The The MOOSE is about the fize of the elk, and its horns almoft 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 fkin, as well as that of the elk, valuable, making, when dreffed, good leather. The CARRABOU is fomething like the moofe in fhape, though not nearly fo tall. Its flefh is exceedingly good; its tongue in particular is in high esteem. Its skin, being smooth and free from veins, is valua ble. The CARCAJOU is 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 in 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 dislike 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 leis fize, it is frequently mistaken. Its hair is long and hining, of a dirty white, mixed in some places with black. Its tail is long and bushy 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 purfíued. On fuch an occafion, it ejects from behind a small ftream of water, of fo subtle 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 them, declares that he found, near the urinal veffels, a small receptacle of water, totally diftinct from the bladder, from which he was fatisfied the horrid ftench proceeded. The fat of the skunk, when externally applied. is a powerful emollient, and its flesh, when dressed without being tainted by its fetid water, is fweet and good. The PORCUPINE or HEDGE-HOG is about the fize of a small dog, though it is neither fo long nor fo tall. Its fhape resembles that of a fox, excepting its head, which is fomething like the head of a rabit. Its body is covered with quills of about four inches in length, moft of which are, excepting at the point, of the thicknefs of a traw. Thefe quills the porcupine darts at his enemy, and if they pierce the flesh in the leaft 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 noses to infert their jewels, and also by way of ornament to their ftockings, hair, &c. The WOOD 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 purpose 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 of the former is larger, and the latter both larger and shorter. Acrofs its face runs a broad ftripe including its eyes, which are large. Its fnout is black, and roundish at the end, like that of a dog; its teeth also aré fimilar to those of the dog, both in number and fhape; the tail is long and round, with annular stripes 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 sometimes bathing itself. 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 these 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 hardeft fubftances. 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 eafily as any equatic animals. Their tails fomewhat refemble those of fifh, and these, and their hind feet, 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 most 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 coarse and of little ufe. The other part of it confifts 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. Caftor, so useful in medicine, is produced from the body of the beaver, It was formerly believed to be his tefticles, but late discoveries 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 fubfiftence, is truly wonderful. When they are ahout 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 neceffaries are to be found. Their houfes are al ways fituated in the water, and when they can find neither lake nor pond pond convenient, they supply the defect by ftopping the current of fome brook or fmall river. For this purpose they felect a number of trees, carefully taking those above the place where they intend to build, that they may fwim down with the current, and placing themfeves 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 less remarkable. These 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, so as to allow an easy communication. Each beaver has his place affigned him, the floor of which he curiously ftrews with leaves, rendering it clean and comfortable. The winter never furprizes these animals before their business is completed; for their houses are generally finished by the laft of September, and their ftock of provifions laid in, which confifts of small pieces of wood disposed in such manner as to preferve its moisture. Upwards of one hundred and thirty American BIRDS have been enumerated, and many of them defcribed by Catesby, Jefferson 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 creation. Catesby obferves, that the birds of America generally exceed thofe of Europe in the beauty of their plumage, but are much inferior to them in the melody of their notes. The WATER PELICAN inhabits the Miffiffippi. Its pouch holds a peck. The LARK is a lofty bird, and foars as high as any of the inhabitants of the airy regions. Hence the old proverb, When the sky falls we shall catch larks.' notes. The WHIP-POOR-WILL is remarkable for the plaintive melody of its It acquires its name from the noise it makes, which to the people of the States founds Whip-poor-will, to the Indians Muck-a-wifs. A ftriking proof how differently the fame founds imprefs different perfons! The LooN is a water fowl, of the fame fpecies of the Dobchick. an exceedingly nimble bird, and fo expert at diving, that it is with great difficulty killed. It is The PARTRIDGE. In fome parts of the country there are three or four different kinds of Partridges, all of them larger than the Partridges of Europe. What is called the Quail in New-England, is denominated Partridge in the fouthern states, where the true Partridge is not to be found. The WAKON-BIRD, which probably is of the fame fpecies with the Bird of Paradise, receives its name from the ideas the Indians have of its fuperior excellence; the Wakon-bird being in their language the bird of the Great Spirit. It is nearly the fize of the swallow, of a brown colour, shaded about the neck with a bright green. The wings are of a darker brown |