The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-05-13
Muskrat Catching.

Muskrat trapping is an industry OF
much local Importance in southwest
New Jersey. The time occupied in cap
luring these animals extends from Oc-
tober TO March, embracing a period Of
about five months. They are trapped
principally, if not entirely, for their
hides, although their flesh is very highly
esteemed by the trapping fraternity.
The muskrat generally inhabits tie
banks of bitches aud creeks.
They pick out n portion of the
bank overgrown with elders, these
supplying them with food and also
helping TO support their burrow. The
rat, after selecting a suitable te for His
home, begins operations in this way:
Starting at the waters edge he bores
inland to a distance of several feet in a
winding manner, when he abruptly
starts in q downward direction TO dis
tance of two or three feet, where he be-
gins TO excavate and form basin, in
the middle of which he raises a mound
four or five feet in circumference. 1t is
here the rats rest during the day, After
finishing this cavern they return to the
waters edge by differentroute, thereby
providing three means of escape-two
at the waters edge and one inland.
These burrows, in their uniform con
struction, afford striking illustration
of bout architecture. The muskrats in
habitating single burrow often number
as high as twenty-five or thirty, and the
size of burrow depends entirely on the
number of inmates. His ratship's diet
consists of roots and grass, although he
holds corn and potatoes in high esteem;
but it is not always that he can tickle
his palate with the last-named articles.
They are scrupulously clean; in fact
proverbially so in this section. And it
is no uncommon thing on a moonlight
night for persons travelling in the vicin-
ity of bitches and canals to see a rat sit
ting on the bank busily engaged in
washing an elder root or an ear of corn.
They are, however, very retiring as re-
CARDS visitors, but if a person should, by
chance or otherwise, place himself in
such a position as to be between the rat
and his hole he would not hesitate on
an attack. And, by way Of illustrating
his ratship's pugnacious disposition, !
will relate the experience of a gentle
man residing in Salem. On a recent
evening he was passing along one of our
rural thoroughfares, which was bor-
dered on each side by ditch. 1t being
q rather late hour of the evening he was
hurrying on at rapid pace, when he
was suddenly set upon by what he sup
posed to be dog, After several futile
efforts to drive the animal away he be-
took himself to club, and after a sharp
struggle, in which he was twice bitten,
he succeeded in killing the animal,
which proved to be a large muskrat.
The mode of trapping these animals is
as diversified as it is ingenious. The
manner most in vogue is by the common
steel traps. Besides this there is what
is known as the box-trap, contrivance
about five feet long by eight inches in
height and breadth, with doors at each
end, working SO that when the luckless
rat once enters he cannot open the door
from the inside. AS many as a half
dozen rats are sometimes caught at once
in this style of trap. "Snoods" and
snares, resembling those employed in
trapping birds, are also much used. As
muskrats are very wary animals great
care has to be taken in trapping them,
and no amount of trap setting by the
uninitiated would result in the capture
of a rat. Great care has also to be taken
to insure the rats being caught else
where than by the leg, for, if he should
be caught in this manner, he would i'm
mediately turn and gnaw his leg off.
This is no uncommon occurrence. The
rat, after being killed, is carefully
skinned and his hide stretched and dried.
1t is then ready for market. The size
of skin taken from a full-grown rat is
about seventeen inches long by ten
inches wide, and the price obtained for
it from local dealers ten and fifteen
cents, according to size, color, etc., al
though few years ago they brought as
high as thirty-fve and forty cents. The
number of rats captured in one season is
very large. One trapper had caught 45O
rats this season up to the lst Of January.
The big tides of 1876, 1877 and 1873 have
had the effect of somewhat retardihg
this industry by drowning a large num-
ber of rats and driving the others further
inland -PhiladelphiG Record.
The Concordia Kansas) Enterprise