Castoreum n. A peculiar bitter orange-brown substance, with strong, penetrating odor, found in two sacs between the anus and external genitals of the beaver; castor; used in medicine as an antispasmodic, and by perfumers.
... The barkstone or castoreum, as it is commercially known, was obtained principally from the beaver himself. The basis of it was an acrid secretion with a musky odor of great power, found in two glands just under the root of the beaver's tail. Each gland was from one and one half to two inches in length. The boys cut out ... — The Last of the Chiefs - A Story of the Great Sioux War • Joseph Altsheler
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