Richland beacon., 1888-10-20
TRAPPED FOR HIS FUR.
something Abou; the Muskrat ara
How i!c Lives

i IION Lives.
As no one class Of fur is more in use
| han the mu,krat (under more pretcn-
| iOuS names).a 4 few notes on the habits
aud manners of life of This animal may
lOt be uninteresting. The muskrat.
generally called mushrat. frcquents all
our streams and creeks. aud. being an
animal OF great adap;ab!,ilY. j. equally
1t home in the pond. creek. marsh or
| beaver meadow. var, ing its habits 10
meet the requirements of the locality
N which he may b. ly nG. The musk
RAT j. somewhat smaller and not unlike
n shape the grouuiaog. being. how
ever. much slcehcr auI minus the
bushy tan. In color he il gravish
.Town, ears small. set well back on
ne head, ani serving HIM much better
sl'an h : e,e~. have often allowed
rem to swim right within q few feet
}! me IN fall signt when the breaking
)i twig or light splash would send
Lem under. saws cDrrl-DDnien, of
'''' UNIV ~ w.. 1 ~ Ictk are
neatly AMI deiicttoly formeI. being
wrbbcd for sw MN u@ and armed with
very serv.ceab'c claws for burrOw no.
Tie most peculiar feature, however.
$ the t3l!, WnICh : Of shape and
.ty!e quite his own. Il > eight or
&c inches ~ length. YG.j. dcVO Il Of
IN thing IN tho way of ha +. saving 4
tito short. stuboy growth, and is
iui.e EI'. lying with the cdgcS ND and
IOWA IN the watcr, and answers as
rudter most admirably. When he i.
la ing in u pond he likes to mako
some hollow floating log or empty
stump his headquarters. ii these are
lot just available, he will lurrow in
some clay part of the bank. at being
The next easiest way Of getting u house.
III IN Il marsh or meadow he runs his
0urrow few feet bacl; from the creek.
Or some pool having connection with
II. the rear of the burrow being above
water level. often within few inches
1 the surface of the ground, the en-
irancs being under wafer There arc
generally two or three approaches 10
thG barrow. 50 that in cas. danger Is
suspected at one hc has the choice Of
the others. They breed generally
thrcc times during the season. that y
between early spring and fall, two or
lhrcc being produced at Il litter. AS
long as the young rats are unable to
support themselves the parents are
very ass duOus IN supplying their
wants. hut as soon as they are consid-
cred able TO forage for themselves they
are hustled out of Tie Old home with
scant ceremony, and rs a rule with
bod ly Violence on the part of the old
couple. Their food consists of slucs,
clans. fish. etc, and such soft roots az
arc found in their vicinity. Whether
it is that the muskrat find bass more
toOlhsOme or more easily caught than
any other fish | cannot say, but the
bones of that fish are always found in
greater numbers around their houses
than those of any other fish. As cold
weather comes on they prepare for il
by selecting some hollow lor or stump,
or # these cannot he had they bu III -
house on some stump above water OF
weeds and sticks very roughly thrown
together. and in these places Law up
stock Of food for winter. In marshes
and meadows they select some little
knoll in the water, put up their house
among the grass. and lay in Their
stock. These houses are generally
eighteen inches or two feet in hc ght.
and reflect very little credit on the
muskrat rs q builder, his architectural
powers being long way behind those
Df his clever cousin. the beaver. When
Ihc waters are closed with ice he takes
10 his house and is no more seen until
hc lengthcning DAYS of spring promise
Iim an early release. AT that time he
nay occasionally be seen sitting on the
&C at the edge Of some air-holc bask-
ng in the sun. or perhaps looking about
or some poss bic mOrsel for h IS sharp
ming appetite. Bat it j. not easy get
ing close to him. as he is quite shy
.fter his long seclusOn and is very sus-
,ic Gus nj first As soon as the waters
ire free of ice they make the utmost
lse of their liberty, and morning and
vening can be- seen in great numbers
n the ponds swimming TO aud fro.
eaving. like small ships n long wake
u the still waters behind them. Gao
'ery peculiar characteristic of this an
NAL is that il he happens 10 be SWIM
ming about during the day he is very
asIly alarmed, but on coming ont in
he evening he becomes quite Ind!ler-
mt to dagger. and will stand lots OF
tone throwing before being persuaded
o abandon his course. whereas during
he day the first stone sends II III down
a the most undignilied alarm. Trap
ers begin TO catch them in October
nj on until the streams close up, and
gain as soon rs the river breaks ND
q the spring for few weeks until the
Seather becomes too warm. The fur
) most valuable in the early sDrinr.
Mt turns very rapidly after he comes
at of bis house. Some idea of the
asst amount of muskrat fur used NAV
e had when statistics show that there
re more peIts OF this one animal
ronght every year to market in this
ountry. than of al other fur-bearinc
nimals put together. As we hear very
ttle Of nuskrat fur in a made up con-
ton. the wonder is what becomes OF
all. IL is turned over 10 tie furr er,
nd in his hands the best Of il coes in
n Il low grade of otter and plucked
cavc-. and Of the less valuable skins
lo't OF our cheap caps and lighter furs
re made.
. AL