The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-12-11
HUNTING MuskRATs.
An Important Industry of tho Fishing
bay (Md.) District.

An Important Industry of tho Fishing
Isay (aid.) District.
visit to u Illustrating village, as
the scattering cabins Of the trappers
along tho border of Fishing bay, Mary
land, arc called, will be revelation TO
the stranger. The cabins are rude. and
have barely habitable appearance.
Tho occupants are squatters. and tho
materials of which their cabins arc
built have been appropriated from tho
nearest tract of timber land Tho trap
pers and their families arc wild and
tailored raco of beings, but hardy and
! good naturcd. One popularity OF Il
Illustrating village is, the large num-
Der of children that belong to each
! cabin. Another feature of the com
munity is n species of razor back hog
that swells the population with its pres
ence. This nondcscript member of tho
porcino family has an important mis-
sion to perform in these settlements,
and he performs it with will 1t is
tho making away with tho hundreds of
surplus musllrat carcasscs that accumu-
late. although tho flesh of the muskrat
forms an important article of food with
tho trapper and his family As for that,
however, eaters of muskratm meat are not
confined to tho trapping villages Of
FISHING bay, for it is considered n
great dolicacy by many an cpicurc in
that land of tcrrapin and canvas backs.
a remarkable thing about tho razor
back hogs of tho muskrat region is that
although they dovour untold pounds of
musl1rat meat every day, they never
show tho richness of their keeping by
adding Il single pound of fcsh,to their
cadaverous bodies.
The muskrat builds its house So that,
while it has Il couple of stories high and
dry on the ground, the entrance to it is
always under water. This entrance is
long tunnel running from a point q
foot or moro beneath the water at low
tide line TO the grounl floor of tho
house, which is always flooded Tho
muSk-rats reason for having this sub
tcrrancan entrance TO his dwelling
place is that thereby he has an exit or
All entrance in time Of danger that will
| not bctray him to his enemies, either
III his flight from home, or in seeking
refuge within its walls But his in
stinct does not warn him against the
trap his most cunning and persistent
enemy places at this hidden entrance
to his home changing it from way to
safety into an avenue to certain death
This trap is wooden box, thrco feet
long and six inches III width and
1epth. In each end is a wirc-door, hung
| on hinges at tho top. These doors
rise at tho slightest push on tho out
| side, but will not opon from tho inside
Tho trap is sunk in the water to the
mouth of tho muskrat's tunnel and
anchored thcrc, and whethor the musk
rate Is going out of his house or return
ing to 1T. he is sure to walk into the
| trap. III he had time, tho captive rodent
could gnaw his way out of tho box, but
before no can FREQ himself no will
brown. a whole family of musl6rats
may be takon in single night in ono
OF these traps, and every trapper has
out as many traps as he can attend i,
There arc other ways by which tho
muskrat is pursued. In the daytime tho
hunters steal over tho marshes and lab
ng-handiod spears with sharp barbed
tines down through the roofs of tho
muskrat houses. Sometimes smear
will impale half dozen rats as they
lie cuddled together in their cosy nests.
Hunters with guns skirt the marshes at
night looking for mus1rats with tho aid
Of jack lamps, but that method of hunt
ing is followed moro TO indulge tho
sporting inclination of tho hunter than
to reap profit. limos Of extraordinary
;idcs on the marshes arc times ALWAYS
welcomed by tho musl1ratter, for tho
:ats arc then forced from their houses,
n spite of tho inialliblc instinct thcy
IRE alleged to possess in forcSccing such
,alamitcus happenings and guarding
against them by building their houses
nigher. They are compelled to flee to
the open country and seek places of
safety, which they rarely find, for tho
trappcrs and hunters have no difficulty
n locating them, and so they are given
over to a wholesale slaughter -Clothicr
md Furnishcr.