The Republican journal., 1873-12-18
Muskrat Masonry.

As soon rs the first trosts are felt, the
muskrats select mud bar, or spot where
the bushes grow in the water. often near
liies,-as the root OF this plant is a favor
tie article of food with them pro-
ceed to lay Il foundation for their house.
In the first place they knaw off at the wa
ter's edge quantity Of coarse grass, rush
cs and small bushes. Gathering this be-
tween the chin and torepaw, as if for car
rying material in their arms they push it
before them to the place where they in
tend using it. The place where they have
harvested their grass and rushes looks as
if some one had moved it with a scvthe.
After the muS>rats have brought together
material enough to make a solid founda-
| ton and have raised the structure to the
waters edge. they dive below and tunnel
underneath it, coming up through the
middle of the mass. The work is then
| carried on from the inside mud. decaNed
| vegetation. moss and other such material,
| is carried through this tunnel and pushed
ont from the inside until it is raised to the
| right height. and rooted over; or, as
| Whittier POLITICALLY describes it.
| The krat piled the maSon'> trade.
| And tier by tier his mud walls laid
| Inside this hillock a small chamber
| about Il foot in diameter is left, and here,
within solid. compact walls. sometimes
two feet thick. the muskrats have their
! comfortable winter quarters.
| Their tunnel gives them access to the
water when the brook is frozen over. In
the winter 4 rap on this nest will bring
! one or more of IFS inmates out. and you
| viii see them scatter away on the bottom
of the brook. picking their way among
! he stones and roots. leaving wherever
| they 90. if the brook is frozen over, Il line
| Of bubbles under the ice. When an open
! space is reached the creature gently rises
| 10 the waters surface and Just putting
| the nose and one eye above water takes
| IN observation and a breath OF fresh air at
| the same time, but instantly dives again.
| These nests vary in size. and look quite
| rough when first built and until the snow
and rain smooth them of. If the nest is
broken open they Immediately begin re-
| pairs working from the inside When
| the meadows and brooks are frozen over.
| the nests appear rs if built on the ice, and
| sometimes. in the late winter and spring
| lreShet>, the upper part OF the nest is lift
| cd UP and moves which would naturally
| confirm this impression. but upon eXami-
nation 1t will be found that the foundation
always rests ON the solid ground below
Last fall the muSkrats, moved by some
| freak. built nest in the boat-house at
Pmkapog Pond after the boat was housed
| for the season. The foundation of the
nests rested partly on the boat and partly
| on the floor of the house, which owing to
| the high water was submerged, and as the
| boat was not raised in the house, the space
| between it and the floor served the same
purpose a the tunnel they, under ordinary
| circumstances. would make. All the fish
inc tackle and everything they could man
| age, wa~ drawn together TO help form
their structure. When the house was
! opened in the spring the nest was found
Ii was estimated that in building ii about
FIVE bushels of material had been brought
in The tenants We're 10th to leave their
comfortable quarters returning again as
| the work Of removing the material Went
on.