The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-05-27
THE Willy MUSKRAT.
How the Little Animal is
Trapped by Night.
The Muskrat's Hauuts and Habits, and
Use to Which His Skin is Put

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In the pround possession of presumed
sealskin cap or muff is very grievously
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
,nuskrat, when dressed by slillful hands,
makes the best imitation OF sealskins, an
imitation so close, that the true is only
separated from the false after the most
careful examination. 1t is an equally
egregious error to imagine that tho 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
haustablc. Muskrats are naturally herl.
ivorous, They feed on land and water
plants alike, in some instances using
roots, stems and fruit. They arc noted
enemies of the "bo.tom 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 a great
extent on the flesh of river mussels. The
muskrat does not como 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 just
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 Il high bank, is little hol-
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 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. If
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 favortc 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 messy
bed The box trap is the favoritc one
for streams, as it is easily made and sew
cral rats are often captured in single
night 1t consists Of a long straight box,
made with entrances at both ends large
enough to admit a muskrat easily. In
the ends are fixed gates made of stout
wire, sian,ing toward the inside of the
box which can be lifted up easily by the
rat going i'll but cannot be opened out
wardly. The box is sunk in the middle
of stream and securely anchored by big
stones being placed on its top. Then
stakes arc 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 c nn>t get out,
and drowns The mu3krat is no coward.
If he is taken on dry groUn and the
jaws Of the trap have caught his leg pref
t ty well 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 blow on the head to
silence him. When there is no other
way of escape, he makes a dash at the
trappers 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 bull
dog The great trapping grounds for the
muskrat, however, are along the low
lands Of Dorchester county, Maryland,
bordering Fishing Bay and its numerous
tributaries, especially the Blackwater and
Nausquallin rivers These marshes en-
brace portions of Lakes, Straits, Draw
bridge and Bucktown districts, and in
area cover thousands of acres. The fun
of the muskrat, which is of two kinds,
brown 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
Dorchester county this season, and the
trappers are still busy. But no STRIPPING
can hope to embark in the muskrat-trap-
ping business for it is one of hardship
and exposure, and the returns are small
indeed. --Nelo York Nail and Express.