The Anatomical D/efription
Animals being fubjeEt to wallow in the Mire, beIides the fbort Hair which
Nature has given them to defend them from the Cold, they had need of ano-
ther longerHair to receive theMudd,and keep it from penetrating to the Skin.
  Its I-lead was five Inches and a half long, from the end of the Nof&,
to
the hinder-part of the Occiput, and five Inches broad at the place of the
liones
which do make the Eminency of the Cheeks. This Proportion has made
the C aft or, to be by Herodotrm, put ainongft the Animals which he calls
Tetra-
goioprof pa, that is to fay, with a fiuare Face or Head.  Its Ears refemblcd
t iof of an Otter; they were round and very fhort, covered with Hair on
the out-fide, and almoft without any within.
  It is fEid that this Animal delights to knaw Trees, and that it cuts then
dlwn to make its Drmme or Hole withal; and indeed its Teeth were made
aftera manner very proper for it. At the end of the Nofe it had four
Incifres, twoin each Jaw, like Squirrcls, Rats, and other Animals which
love to nibble. The lower ones were above an Inch long, but the upper
were not above ten Lines, and flipped within the others, not being diretly
oppofite to them. As to their Ihape, they were half round before, and very
sliarp at the end, which was cut bevelling on the in-fide and out-fidc. ITheir
Colour was White on the in-fide, and on the outfide of a brisk Red inclining
to Yellow, almoft like that of baltard Saffron. They were both about two
Lines broad at the going out of the Jaw, and above a Line at their ex-
tremity. Befides ,thefe Incifores, there were fixteen Mo/ares, that is to
fay, eight in each fAde, four below, and four above. They were diredfly op-
pofite one to another, and had nothing particular.
  As to the Eyes we could not examine them, becaufe that the Rats, or
fornle fuch Creatures had eat them.
  The Strudture of the Feet was very extraordinary, and fufficiently de-
monfih ated, that Nature hath defigned this Animal to live in the Water as
well as upon Land. For altho' it had four Feet, like terrefirial Animals,
yet
the hiudnduft 1eemed more proper to fwim than walk with, the five Toes
of w hich they were compoled being joyned together like thofe of a Goofe,
by
a Membrane which fcrves this Animal to Swim with. But the fore-ones
were made otherwise ; for there was no Membrane which held thefe Toes
jox n'd together; and this was requifite for the conveniency of this Animal,
wvhch ufes them as Hands ( like Squirrels ) when hie eats.  The Proportion
of tiefd Toes, their Situation, and the Shape of the PArn, do make thefe
Paws
wholly like Hands; and when Mathiolms fays that they do differ from the
Hands of an Ape, lie evidently demonifrates that he has confounded the
Ca/for with the Otter,wh ich has the Toes of the fore-feet provided with
Skins
like thofe behind ; which perhaps lie has inferr'd from what Pliniy fays,
that
the Cajlor is altogether like the Otter, except the Tail. The length of the
I U-e-fcet was fix Inches and a half from the Cmbitus to the end ofthe great
Toc; and three Inches from the beginning of the Hand to the extremity of
the grcatefn Finger: thofe behind were longer, and contained fix Inches from
tIhe extremity of the Heel to the end of the longeft, which was the fecond
1'oe. Befides thefe five Toes, which were all firnifhed at the end with
Nails cut aflope, and hollow in the infide like Pens, there was in the exter.
nal Part of each fore and hind-foot, a little Bone which made an eminency
and
which mighlt have been taken fur a fixth Toe, had it been fIparate and
                                                                divided