was half grown, was great. It would drag along a large sweeping-brush, or a warming-pan, grasping the handle with its teeth so that it came over its shoulder, and advancing with the load in an oblique direction, till it arrived at the point where it wished to place it. The long and large materials were always taken first, and two of the longest were generally laid crosswise, with one of the ends of each touching the wall, and the other ends projecting out into the room. The area formed by the crossed brushes and the wall he would fill up with handbrushes, rush-baskets, books, boots, sticks, clothes, dried turf, or anything portable. As the work grew high he supported himself on his tail, which propped him up admirably; and he would often, after laying on one of his building materials, sit up over against it, appearing to consider his work, or, as the country-people say, ‘judge it.' This pause was sometimes followed by changing the position of the material 'judged,' and sometimes it was left in its place. After he had piled up his materials in one part of the room (for he generally chose the same place), he proceeded to wall up the space between the feet of a chest of drawers which stood at a little distance from it, high enough on its legs to make the bottom a roof for him; using for this purpose dried turf and sticks, which he laid very even, and filling up the interstices with bits of coal, hay, cloth, or anything he could pick up. This last place he seemed to appropriate for his dwelling the former work seemed to be intended for a dam. When he had walled up the space between the feet of the chest of drawers, he proceeded to carry in sticks, clothes, hay, cotton-wool, &c., and to make a nest. When he had done this to his satisfaction, he would sit up under the drawers, and comb himself with the nails of his hind feet. In this operation, that which appeared at first to be a malformation was shown to be a beautiful adaptation to the necessities of the animal. The huge

webbed hind-feet of the beaver turn in so as to give the appearance of deformity; but if the toes were straight, instead of being incurved, the animal could not use them so readily for the purpose of keeping its fur in order, and cleansing it from dirt and moisture.

Binny generally carried small and light articles between his right fore-leg and his chin, walking on the other three legs; and huge masses, which he could not grasp readily with his teeth, he pushed forwards, leaning against them with his right fore-paw and his chin. He never carried anything on his tail, which he liked to dip in water, but he was not fond of plunging in the whole of his body. If his tail was kept moist he never cared to drink; but if it was kept dry it became hot, and the animal appeared distressed, and would drink a great deal. It is not impossible that the tail may have the power of absorbing water, like the skin of frogs, though it must be owned that the scaly integument which invests that member has not much of the character which generally belongs to absorbing surfaces.

It has been asserted, and in some degree proved, that the song of birds depends on that which they first hear; but their nest-making seems to be the result of innate instinct. Binny must have been captured too young to have seen any of the building operations of his parents or their co-mates, but his instinct impelled him to go to work under the most unfavourable circumstances; and he busied himself as earnestly in constructing a dam, in a room up three pair of stairs in London, as if he had been laying his foundation in a stream or lake in Upper Canada.

Bread, and bread and milk and sugar, formed the principal part of Binny's food; but he was very fond of succulent fruits and roots. Tender twigs, especially of the willow, were greatly to his taste, and he would handle them very adroitly, drawing them through his

fore-paws, which he closed on them much as a basketmaker would do when trying a twig, though less perfectly of course.

An animal so sociable in his habits ought to be affectionate; and very affectionate the beaver is said to be. Drage mentions two young ones, which were taken alive and brought to a neighbouring factory in Hudson's Bay, where they throve very fast until one of them was killed accidentally. The survivor instantly felt the loss, began to moan, and abstained from food till it died. Mr. Bullock mentioned to me a similar instance which fell under his notice in North America. A male and female were kept together in a room, where they lived happily till the male was deprived of his partner by death. For a day or two he appeared to be hardly aware of his loss, and brought food and laid it before her; at last, finding that she did not stir, he covered her body with twigs and leaves, and was in a pining state when Mr. Bullock lost sight of him.

With no slight regret I must add a third example in the death of my pet. The housekeeper was very fond of Binny, always consulting his comforts and appetite, making his bed warm, and treating him frequently to Sally Lunns and plum-cake, till he became the most plump and sleek of beavers; and the attachment was reciprocal. At last, on the writer's departure from London for some time, it was thought that Binny, who had grown excessively fat, would be the better for exercise and change of air, and would be more comfortable if sent to pay a visit to the Tower of London, and expatiate there. Mr. Cops, the keeper of the lions, kindly undertook to take care of him. He was suffered to go at large, and had every accommodation, but soon began to lose his appetite. In vain did his kind host try every delicacy to tempt his guest. With the exception of a few raisins, the dejected animal would eat nothing,

and fell away visibly. Fearing the worst, and suspecting that it was pining for its home, Mr. Cops brought it back to the housekeeper. The poor beaver immediately recognised her, uttered his little cry, and crept under her chair. But the blow had been struck: he never rallied, and died, as the good old housekeeper declared, with tears in her eyes, of a broken heart. His skin is preserved in the museum of the Bristol Philosophical Society. Poor Binny! He was a most faithful and entertaining creature, and some highly comic scenes occurred between the worthy but slow beaver, and a light and airy macauco that was kept in the same apartment.

The macauco was a white-fronted lemur,* and was presented to me by the late Captain Marryat, R.N. From the excessive agility of this sprightly creature, I named him Monsieur Mazurier,' to which name, and also to that of 'Macky,' he would answer by a satisfactory grunting noise. His bounds were wonderful. From a table he would spring twenty feet and more, to the upper angle of an open door, and then back again to the table or his master's shoulder, light as a fairy. In his leaps, his tail seemed to act as a kind of balancing pole, and the elastic cushions at the end of his fingers enabled him to pitch so lightly, that his descent was hardly felt when he bounded on you. He would come round the back of my neck and rub his tiny head fondly against my face or ear, and, after a succession of fondlings and little gruntings, descend to my instep, as I sat crosslegged before the fire, when he would settle himself down thereon, wrap his tail round him like a lady's fur boa, and go to sleep. When in his cage, he generally slept on his perch, rolled up with his head downwards, and his tail comfortably wrapped over all. If a piece of orange were given to him, he would lift the fruit to his

*Lemur albifrons.

mouth, and throw back his head, so as to secure the juice, not a drop of which was lost. He was very fond of sparkling champagne, and, after such a treat, his friskings and playful tricks were beyond description funny. His game of romps with Binny was most ludicrous. Often while Monsieur Mazurier was seated on my instep, the bell was rung for Binny, who entered as rapidly as his shuffling gait would permit him, immediately came close to my leg, uttered his little cry, and caressed the leg, after his fashion, by rubbing the side of his head and his nose against it. Presently he would perceive Macky, whom he would awake, and endeavour to seduce him to play, by prancing and shuffling before him. Macky, nothing loath, would make a spring on Binny's tail, and bound off in an instant. Upon which Binny would shuffle and prance, shake his head, and play wonderful antics. People may talk of the gambols of a rhinoceros, but the gambols of the rodent threw those of the pachyderm into the shade, beating them hollow in uncouthness and absurdity. Macky would bound on Binny's back, dance a kind of saraband upon him, and then leap before him, upon which Binny would charge the dancer with the most determined heavy alacrity. Macky was over his head and skipping on his great flat scaly tail in a second. Then Binny would. shake his head, wheel round like a ponderous waggon, and by the time he had brought his head where his tail was, Macky had bounded from the tables and chairs on and off him twenty times. Binny at last would slap his tail again and again against the floor, till he made all ring, whereupon Macky would dance round him and cut the most extravagant capers, touching Binny's tail with his finger, and jumping away as quick as thought.

They had evidently a good understanding with each other, and were on the best terms. One day they were left at large in a room together, where there was a linen