Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-11-04
Musk Rat Masonry.

y soon ~ The first lro~,s are felt. the
ml~h-r,tt~ select = mud bar. or spot where
the l'l~h'~ crow in tie winter. often near
iI.I'~.-:i~ TIL" Foot of this plant i 4 favor
II article of food with them. and pro-
coed 10 lay i foundation fox their house.
In the first place they gnaw Oft at thu.
waters cd-,' Il quantity of coarse grasses
rl~hr~. amt small bushes. Gathering this
h"tWron the chin and fore paws. rs if car
rNln~ the m1trri1l in their arms. they
push it before them t. the place where
they intend using il, a. this mu~k-rtt was
ll~t doing. The place where they have
hrNr~trd their grass and rll~hr> looks us
if SON" one had moved il with a scvihc.
After the mI~k-lit> hive brought tnrrth-
rr nlltrritl enough t. makea solid fnun-
dl,iom. and have raised the structure to
the waters cl-r. they dive below and tun-
mel underneath it. coming up through the
middle "t ;hr mass The work i, then
carried on from the inside; mud. decavrd
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, * Whit
tier practically describes it
a I'll" mu->rat Pile | The ml-on's trade
'''.' ''N' .. w. Us t4l't * - l'tHi
Inside this hilock Il small chamber
about 4 foot in diameter is left, and here.
NIihm solid. compact walls, sometimes
tW" feet thick. the mn>k-rat> have their
comfortable winter qulrtcr>.
lh"lr tunnel ~ivr> them access to the
water when the brook is frozen over. In
thc winter 4 rap on this nest will brine
on" or more of it, inmates out. and You
W II see them scatter away on the bottom
of the brook. picking their WAY among
the stones aad roots. leaving Wherever
they 20. if the brook is frozen over. a line
of bubbles under the lee When an open
>p ace i reached the creature gently rises
t. tn" waters surface, and Just putting the
II Use and On" eye above water, takes an
observation and 4 breath of fresh air at
the same time, hut instantly dives again.
Ih" nests vary in size. and look quite
rough when first built and until the snow
and rain Smooths them Off If the nest is !
broken open they Immediately BERN re-
pairs. working from the inside. When
the mead ,wS and brooks are frozen over.
tn" nests appear rs if built on the ice.
and sometimes ;, in the late winter or >prin~
irr~hct>. the upper part of the nest is lift |
nd up AMI moved, which would naturally
confirm this impression: but on EXAMINE
don it VIII be found that the foundation
always re>ts on the solid ground below.
lr-t fail the mu>k-ratS. moved bv some
r"ak. blllt nest in the boat house ut
Pun kap'@ Pond after the boat was hous
1t for The season. The foundation of the
n"st rested partly on the boat and purity
IN tn floor of the house. which owinr. to
he ii@h water, Wa> submerged; and as
h" boat WAS not raised in the house the
pace between it and the floor served the
anne purpose rs the tunnel they, under
ordinary circumstances, would make. All
he fishing tackle. and everything they
ould got was put together to help form
heir structure. When the house was
opened in the spring the nest was found.
t was estimated that in building it about
I'VE bushels of material had been brought
n. he tenants were 10th to leave their
ontortable quarters, returning again and
gum ;S the work of removing the materi
| went on.-O!d a71l .NcU