The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-07-06
H Willy MUSKRAT.
How the Little Animal is
trapped by Night.
The Muskrat's Haunts and Habits, and
Use to Which His Skin is Put,

IN the pround possession of a presumed
sea'skln cap or muff is very gricvously
mistaken. The articles in question. in
nine cases out Of ten, never saw Alaska
IN any form. New Jersey or Maryland
furnished the material to make them, for
the hide of the despised and humble
muskrat, when dressed by skillful hands,
makes the best imitation of scalskins, an
imitation so close, that the true is only
separated from the false after the most
careful examination. 1t is an equally
gorgeous error to imagine that the New
Jersey fisherman becomes dormant in
winter time. On the contrary, he is
wldeawake and occupies his time tran
ping uskrat The salt marshes on the
Inc OF the Jersey coast are full of musk
rats, and the supply seems to be mex
haustable. Muskrats are naturally herb
1vorous. They feed on land and water
plants alike, in some instances using
roots, stems and fruit. They are noted
enemies of the 'bottom ground" farmer,
Tor 1T is in his fields that corn grows most
plentiful, and on that cereal muskrats
o. to feed. They cat corn at any time
alter 1t is planted, taking the seed from
the ground or the young plant from the
1urrow. The greatest damage is done
alter the ear is we'll formed. Their food
Is not entirely vegetable, for in winter
ana early spring they subsist to a great
extent on the flesh of river musscls. Thu
muskrat does not come out of his lo;r n
the daytime, save on rare occasions.
sometimes on very dark cloudy days he
may be seen swimming across the pond
or down the stream with his head lust
ABOVE water. 1t is an ugly vicious look
ing animal with white claws and long
white teeth. Hc is n fair swimmer and
MS capacity for staying under water is
extraordinary His home, if the stream
or pond has Il high bank. is a little bol-
low place under ground, five or six feet
from the waters edge, and the entrance
IS under water. The hallway, after it
has penetrated the bank, curves gradual
ly upward, and at its end, in his snug
little subtcrranean chamber, the muskrat
spends his day sleeping or in storing away
1000 tor winter. 1t makes the TRAINER
happy when he finds the entrances to
these houses. When he finds one he
places his trap just in the entrance. If
the rat is caught he will probably drown.
rs the weight of the trap and his efforts
to escape will tire him, and he will sink
below water. A ~favorite method of
catching the muskrat in his own house is
to cut off the top of his domicilc and
bury the trap in the centre of his mossy
bed. The box trap is the f~avorite one
Tor streams, as it is easily made, and sew
eral rats are often captured in a single
night. 1t consists of a long straight box,
made with entrances at boil cnds 1aroe
enough to admit a muskrat easily. In
the ends are fixed gates made of stout
wire, slanting toward the inside of the
box which can be lifted up easily by the
rat going in hut cannot be opened out
wardly. The box is sunk in the middle
OF n stream and securely anchored by big
stones being placed on it's top. Then
stakes are driven from the box to each
SIDE OF the stream. The muskrat finds
his way barred by the stakes, swims into
the trap, discovers he cannot get out.
and browns. The muskrat is no coward. |
If he is taken on dry ground and the
jaws OF the trap have caught his leg pref
ty we'll down near the toe, the rat not
being able to pull away will gnaw off his
leg just above where the trap holds it. |
When found alive he fights desperately
and requires many a blow on the head to
silence him. When there is no other
way of escape, he makes n dash at the !
trappcr's leg, and if he once catches hold. |
his sharp white teeth sink into the bone
and his strong jaws cling to the unfortu-
nate hunter with the tenacity of a bull
dog. The great trapping grounds for the
muskrat, however, arc along the low
lands OF Dorchester county, Maryland,
bordering Fishing Bay and its numerous
tributaries, especially the Blackwater and
Nausquakin rivers. These marshes en-
brace portions of Lakes, Straits, Draw
bridge and Bucktown districts, and in
area cover thousands of acres. The fur
of the muskrat, which is of two kinds.
drown and black, the black being the
most valuable, is sold to travelling deal
ers for twelve to eighteen cents per skin.
about rs, 900 skins have been sold in