with a Whale's bone, I believe. They sound the ice with this bone, striking upon it and examining it to see if it is hollow; and if there is any indication of this, then they cut the ice with their iron blade, looking to see if the water is stirred up by the movement or breathing of the Beaver. If the water moves, they have a curved stick which they thrust into the hole that they have just made; if they feel the Beaver, they kill it with their big club, which they call _ca ouikachit_; and, drawing it out of the water, go and make a feast of it at once, unless they have great hopes of taking others. I asked them why the Beaver waited there until it was killed. "Where will it go?" they said to me; "its house is broken to pieces and the other places where it could breathe between the water and ice are broken; it remains there in the water, seeking air, and meanwhile it is killed." Sometimes [154] it goes out through its House, or some hole; but the dogs which are there, scenting and waiting for it, have soon caught it. Lors qu'il y a quelque fleuue voisin, ou quelque bras d'eau conjoinct à l'estang où ils sont, ils se coulẽt la dedans; mais les Sauuages barrent ces fleuues quand ils les découurent, ils cassent la glace & fichent quantité de pieux les vns pres des autres, en sorte que le Castor ne peut euader par là. I'ay veu de grands lacs qui sauuoient la vie aux Castors, car nos gens ne pouuans casser tous les endroicts où ils pouuoient respirer, aussi ne pouuoient ils attraper leur proye; Il y a quelquefois deux menages de Castors dans vne mesme Cabane, c'est à dire deux masles & deux femelles auec leurs petits. When there is a river near by, or an arm of water connecting with the pond where they are, they slip into that; but the Savages dam up these rivers when they discover them, breaking the ice and planting a number of stakes near each other, so that the Beaver may not escape in that direction. I have seen large lakes which saved the lives of the Beavers; for our people, not being able to break all the places where they could breathe, therefore could not trap their prey. Sometimes there are two families of Beavers in the same House, that is, two males and two females, with their little ones. La femelle en porte iusques à sept, quatre, cinq, six pour l'ordinaire, ils ont quatre dents, deux embas & deux en haut merueilleusemẽt aterées, les autres deux sont petites, mais celles-cy sont grandes & tranchantes, ils s'en seruent pour couper les bois de leur prouision, & les bois dont ils batissent leur demeure, ils aiguisent ces dents quand elles sont emoucées, les frottans & pressants les vnes contre [155] les autres, faisans vn petit bruit que i'ay oüy moy-mesme.