Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-08-28
THE WILP MUSkRAT.
How the Little Animal is
Trapped by Night.
The Muskrat's Haunts and Habits, and
Use to Which His Skin is Put

Many young lady who moves around
IN the pround possession Of a presumed
sealskin cap or mufT 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 10 make them, for
the hide of the despised and humble
muskrat. when blessed 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 |
egrcglous error to imagine that the New |
jersey fisherman becomes dormant in
winter time. On the contrary, he Is
wideawake and occupies his time trap
ping muskrats. The salt marshes on the
line of the Jersey coast are full of musk
rats, and the supply seems to be mex
haustable Muskrats are naturally herb
ivorous 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,
for it is in his fields that corn grows most
PLENTIFUL and on that cereal muskrats
love to feed. They eat corn at any time
after it is planted, taking the seed from
the ground or the young plant from the
furrow The greatest damage is done
after the ear is well formed Their food
IS not entirely vegetable, for in winter
and carly spring they subsist to great
extent on the flesh of river mussels. The
muskrat does not come out of his lair in
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 He is fair swimmer and
his capacity for staying under water is
extraordinary. His home, if the stream
or pond has high bank>> is a little hol-
low place under grounds 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 subterranean chamber, the muskrat
spends his day sleeping or in storing away
food for winter. 1t makes the trapper
happy when he finds the entrances to
these houses When he finds one he
places his trap just in the entrance II
the rat is caught he will probably drown,
as 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 domicile and
bury the trap in the centre of his mossy
bed. The box trap is the favoritc one
for streams, as it is easily made, and sew
eral rats are often captured in a single
night. 1t consists of a long straight box,
maize with entrances at both ends larc,
enough to admit a muskrat easily. II
the ends are fixed gates made Of stou
wire, slanting toward the inside Of tn
: box which can be lifted up easily by tn
rat going in but cannot be opened out
wardly. The box is sunk in the middl
of a stream and securely anchored by bi-
stones being placed on Its top Thel
stakes are driven from the box to each
side Of the stream The muskrat find
his way barred by the stakes, sw.ms int
the trap, discovers lie G na0t Get out
and browns. The mnskrat is no coward
II he is taken on dry ground and tn
: jaws OF the trap have caught his leg .ret
ty well down near the toe, the rat n
: being able to pull away will cnaw or hi
leg just above where the trap holds il
When found alive he fights dcsperatcl
and requires many blow on the head /
n Silence him When there Is ~ othc
= way q escape, BE- makes q dash At th
Y trapper's lcr. and # he once catches hold
It his sharp white teeth sink into the bon
and his strong jaws cling TO the uafor;l
nate hunter with the tcaacity of bu3
dog. The great trapping grounds f2r Il
= muSkrat. however, are along the loH
9 lands # Dorchester county. Maryland
: bordering Fishing Bay and lis n4ne7ot
tributaries. especially the BiacA water az
r Nausquakin rivers. The marshes CT
70 brace portions . Lac, Straits, Draw
i, bridge and Bucktown distric,-, ani
area c1,-.- thousands q ar+ra= Th,- :