The female bears as many as seven, but usually four, five, or six. They have four teeth, two below, and two above, which are wonderfully drawn out; the other two are small, but these are large and sharp. They are used to cut the wood for their food, and the wood with which they build their house; they sharpen these teeth when they are dull, by rubbing and pressing them against [155] each other, making a little noise which I have myself heard.
Le Castor a le poil fort doux, les chapeaux qu'on en fait en sont tesmoins, il a des pieds forts courts & fort propres pour nager, car ils ont vne peau continue entre les ongles, à la façon des oyseaux de riuiere, ou des loups marins, sa queuë est toute platte, assez longuette faicte en ouale; i'en mesuray vne d'vn gros Castor, elle auoit vne paulme & huict doigts ou enuiron de longeur, & quasi vne paulme de la main en largeur, elle estoit assez épaisse, elle est couuerte, non de poil, mais d'vne peau noire figurée en écailles: ce ne sont pas pourtant de vrayes écailles: on prend icy le Castor pour vn animal amphiuie, voila pourquoy on en mange en tout temps: ma pensée est que sa gresse fonduë approche plus de l'huille que de la gresse, la chair en est fort bonne, elle m'a semblé vn peu fade au Printemps, & non pas en Hiuer; Au reste si sa peau surpasse la peau du mouton, la chair de mouton surpasse à mon aduis celle de Castor; tant pource qu'elle est de meilleur goust, comme aussi que le Moutõ est plus gros qu'vn Castor.
The Beaver has very soft fur, the hats made of it being an evidence of this. It has very short feet which are well adapted to swimming, for the nails are united by skin, in the same way as those of river-birds or seals; its tail is entirely flat, quite long and oval-shaped. I measured one of a large Beaver; it was a palm and eight fingers or thereabout in length, and almost one palm of the hand in width. It was quite thick, and was covered, not with hair, but with a black skin looking like scales; however, these are not real scales. The Beaver here is regarded as an amphibious animal, and therefore it is eaten in all seasons. My idea is that the grease when melted is more like oil than grease; the flesh is very good, but it seems to me a little stale in the Spring, and not so in Winter. But if the pelt of the Beaver excels the pelt of the sheep, the flesh of the sheep is superior, in my opinion, to that of the Beaver,—not only because it tastes better, but also because the Sheep is larger than the Beaver.
Le Porc épic se prend à l'attrape & à la course, le chien l'ayant découuert, il est [156] mort s'il n'est bien prés de son giste, qu'il faict sous de grandes roches, sous lesquelles s'estant retiré, il est en lieu d'asseurance; car ny les hõmes, ny les chiens, ne se sçauroient glisser là dessous, il ne peut courre sur la neige, voila pourquoy il est bien tost assommé, & n'est guere plus gros qu'vn gros cochon de laict, ses pointes ou piquerons sont blãcs, longuets & assez minces, entrelassez & entremeslez d'vn poil noir ou grisate: I'ay veu en France des armes où il y auoit des pointes de [306] Porcs épics trois fois plus longues & dix fois plus grosses & biẽ plus fermes que celles des Porcs épics de ce païs cy: les Sauuages m'ont dit que vers le fleuue de Saguenay, tirãt vers le Nord, ces animaux y estoient bien plus gros. Ils les brulent comme nous faisons les pourceaux en France, puis les ayant raclez, les font boüillir ou rostir, le manger en est bon, assez dur neantmoins, notamment des vieux, car les ieunes sont tendres & delicats; mais ils n'approchent point, ny de nos Porcs Sangliers, ny de nos Porcs domestiques.
The Porcupine is taken in a trap, or by coursing. The dog having discovered it, it is sure to be [156] killed if it is not very near its abode, which it makes under large rocks; having reached this, it is in a place of safety, for neither men nor dogs can crawl into it. It cannot run upon the snow, and is therefore very soon put to death. It is hardly larger than a good-sized sucking-pig. Its points or quills are white, long, and rather thin, interlaced and mixed with black or grayish hair. In France I have seen specimens of the Porcupine with quills three times longer and ten times thicker, and much stiffer than those of the Porcupines of this country. The Savages have told me that near the Saguenay river, toward the North, these animals are much larger. They singe them as we do pigs in France; and, after they are scraped, they are boiled or roasted, and are quite edible, although rather tough, especially the old ones, but the young ones are tender and delicate. But in taste they are not equal to either our Wild Boar or our common Pig.
Cest animal a les pieds tortus, & les iette en dehors, ses piquerons ont cette qualité, s'ils piquẽt vn chien ou quelque persõne, ils entrent incessamment, s'insinuans ou glissans petit à petit, & s'en allans ressortir par [157] la partie opposée à leur entrée; par exemple s'attachans au dos de la main, ils la transperceront & sortiront par le dedans. I'ay souuent veu les chiens tous herissez de ses pointes entrées desia à demy quand leurs Maistres les retiroient. Voulant considerer le premier qu'on apporta en la Cabane où ie demeurois auec les Sauuages, ie l'empoignay par la queuë, & le tiray vers moy, tous ceux qui me regardoient se mirent à rire, voyans cõme ie procedois; & de faict quoy que i'eusse tasché de le prendre dextremẽt, si est-ce que quantité de ces petites lances s'attacherent à mes mains, car il n'y a aiguille si pointuë, ie les retiray aussi tost, & les iettay dans le feu.
This animal has crooked feet, which it turns outward. Its quills have this peculiarity: if they stick into a dog or person they keep on penetrating, insinuating themselves or slipping in, little by little, and coming out [157] opposite where they entered. For example, if they stick into the back of the hand they will go through it, and come out on the inside. I have often seen dogs bristling with these quills, already thrust half-way into them when their Masters draw them out. Wishing to examine the first one that was brought into the Cabin where I was staying with the Savages, I caught it by the tail and drew it toward me. All those who were looking on began to laugh at the way I went at it; and, in fact, although I had tried to take hold of it adroitly, nevertheless a number of these little spears stuck into my hand, for there is no needle so sharp. I immediately drew them out, and threw them into the fire.
L'Ours au Printemps se prend à l'attrape, l'Hiuer ils le trouuẽt dans des arbres creux où il se retire, passans plusieurs mois sans manger, & cependant il ne laisse pas d'estre fort gras, ils couppent l'arbre pour faire sortir la proye qu'ils assomment sur la neige, où bien à la sortie de son giste.
Bears are taken in a trap, in the Spring. In the Winter they are found in hollow trees, to which they withdraw, passing several months without eating, and yet they continue to be very fat. They fell a tree, to make their prey emerge, which they kill upon the snow, or as it is coming from its abode.
[308] Ils prennent les Lieures au lacet, ou les tuent auec leurs arcs ou matras; i'ay desia remarqué autrefois que ces animaux sont blancs pendant les neiges, & gris en autre temps, ie les trouue vn peu plus hauts & plus pattus que ceux de France. Ils tuent les [158] Marthes & les Escurieux en mesme façon; voila les chasses d'animaux terrestres que i'ay veu.