, 1886-04-01
auskeAr Aurrlnd y AAsylAno.

rhou..ads Of Thee. Rodents Killed Scr
nd Thsir Fur sna ssr msfs MseA .irfu.
Along the lovlands of Dorchester
county. Maryland. bordering Fishirfg bay
and its numerous tributaries, notably the
Blackwater and TraDsquakin riven, Is
found a class Of hardy trappefs, o. musk
~ratters.l as they are locally known, who
depend entirely upon hunting and trap
ping for a livelihood. The marahes
which they frequent in quest Of musk
rats and offers embrace portions Of
Lakes, Straits, Drawbridge, and Buck
town districts, and in an area covering
thousands Of acres. The marsh in sum-
mer affords excellent pasturAge for cat
tie and hogs, which are only half tamil,
and many OF them can only be captured
when the winter drives them to the up
lands for food. Looking from any point
on the edge of the upland the eye has an
unobstructed and almost unlimited range
to the horizon over what resembles a
vast prairie. Through these marsh lands
small rivers and innumerable little
streams permeate, occasionally emptying
into large lagoons or lakes before REACH
ing Fishing bay. At times the lakes are
filled with wild ducks and geese. afford
ing rare sport to gunners. Keeping well
away from the lagoona, the marsh fur
nishes a solid footing. but As the streams
are approached a margin Of several hun
dred yards Of t~reacherous boys and quAg-
mires is encountered, which Is = terror
TO the foreign huntsmap, who sometimes
finds himself waist deep in the mire, tho
result OF a single unwary step.
1t is among these boys that the trapper
plies his skill most successfully. Hemay
be seen making q circuit OF the ponds on
their very edges, and apparently with
out the least concern where his loot falls.
His eye is quick to detect q pitfall, and
he seems TO escape almost dry shod
where the wits OF the trembling stranger
would fail him about how TO follow. Tho
rats u pipes in every direction, and
build their houses in mounds of mud
and marsh grass. These houses are al
ways built over a well in the marsh,
which affords an easy escape IL the house
Is molested. They generally contain
from four to eight rats. On a windy day
the skillful trapper sometimes meets with
success by approaching the houses noise
lessly from the leeward and driving a gig
crashing through them. Sometimes sew
eral rats are thus pinioned at one stroke,
but it is only at favorable times that this
method can be adopted, for even the
cracking of a flag under the foot will
suffice to give the alarm, and an i'm
mediate exit through the well to
the pipes under the marsh is made.
They are usually trapped by the use of
what is called a choker. This consists OF
a triangular-shaped wire suspended by a
strong cord from a plant pole driven
into the marsh and bent over 20 as to
allow the wire to intercept his ratship in
his passage through a pipe. An ordinary
days catch by a single trapper is about
thirty rats. The meat is considered
wholesome and is greatly relished.
The fur. which Is of two varieties,
black and brown, the black being con-
sidered most valuable, is sold to dealers
at prices varying from l2 to IS cents.
There are probably $4,000 skins sold in
Dorchester county during the trapping
season. One dealer in Cambridge has
shipped as many As 10000. During the
late freshets and high tides the marshes
have been about four feet under water,
and the trappers have not reaped such a
harvest in ten years.-Baltimore Sun.