Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-03-21
POTOMAC MUSKRATS.
QUEER HABITS OF THESE Willy AND
TROUBLESOME LITTLE RODENTS.
Their Depredations In Cornfelds and Veg
etable Patches-They Are Easily Caught
In Spite of Much Cunning-Undermined
by Canal Building.

Their DepredatiOEs In COrnfields and veg.
etable Patches-They Are Easily Caught
In Spite of Much Cunning-Undermined
by Canal Building.
Of all the queer creatures, including
crawfish, turtles, bullfrogs, etc., which
nfest the shores of the Potomac near
Washington, affording sport to small
boys gifted with an appetite for the
chase, not least interesting is the musk
rat.
Muskrats, though timid animals. seek
the neighborhood of human habitations.
They have learned that the presence of
man assures them an abundance of food,
while at the same time their natural
enemies are fewer. Hereabout they
flourish, being to a great extent undis-
turbed. They are not destroyed by farm
ers, though in certain regions they are
dreaded enemies of agriculture. Of corn
they are extravagantly fond. They will
eat it at any stage of its growth-the
seed from the ground, the young plant
from the furrow or the roasting ear"
from the stalk.
They visit the cornfield at night, cut
ting down the stalks and carrying away
the juicy ears. At times streams flow
ing through bottom lands" where this
cereal is cultivated are fairly covered
with floating stalks-the result of the
nocturnal forays of these vermin. In Or
der to make the finty grains tender they
will sometimes deposit the ears in wa
ter for two or three days. These ami
mails are fond of many kinds of vegeta-
bles, robbing apple orchards and patches
of turnips and parsnips: In winter and
early spring they subsist in great part
on the flesh of river mussels. Probably
they are driven by hunger to this diet
of shellfsh.
Records of this habit are preserved in
the banks of many canals, where alter
nate deposits of shells cleaned by musk
rats and of sediment may be seen in
places reaching to a depth of some feet.
The means by which the animal obtains
the mussel from its shell has been much
discussed. Probably it is often done by
inserting the paws or teeth between the
valves and tearing them apart. Ii the
mollusk cannot be caught unawares,
the edges of the she'll are broken by
means of the teeth. The heavier species
of mussels, it is believed, are carried
out upon the bank and left until they
become weak or die, when the valves
can be easily separated.
Muskrats, you see, are very clever
creatures. Farmers attribute to them
an appetite for young ducks, but it is
probable that they are wrongly credited
with destruction actually committed
by turtles.
These rodents are very unsuspicious
and are easily captured. Many of them
are killed by means of poisoned apples
or turnips placed near their burrows.
One of the most effective traps for them
is barrel without ends placed. uprig mt
near the bank of stream, so as to be
about half filled with water. Inside of
it upon the water are put grass and
weeds with some pieces of parsnips.
Every night the barrel is likely to cap
ture from one to half dozen musk
rats.
When rat gets inside, it is impossi-
BILE, owing to the depth OF the water,
for it to stand upon its hind legs and
cut hole in the slaves above water
line. AT the same time it cannot get
out at the top. When several are taken
the same night, a fight usually ensues,
resulting in the death CT all of the cap
tives either by the sharp teeth of their
companions or by drowning. The musk
rat is very ferocious when cornered. Its
worst enemy, next to man. is the dog.
Hawks, owls, foxes and mink all prey
upon it. These rodents have sometimes
been found in the stomachs of large cat
fish, but the fishes were so tainted with
the flavor of the food as to be unfit to
eat.
With the building of canals in vari-
Gus parts of the country has come a
change in the life of the muskrats in
many localities. They have actually
abandoned to great extent the streams
to take up their habitations along the
banks of these artificial waterways. No
doubt they realize the greater security
afforded them from floods and other
dangers. These animals will rarely oc-
cupy banks of gravel or sand, preferring
loan or light clay. Advantage has been
taken of this fact by railways, which so
long as they construct banks of gravel
and keep them free from vegetable
growth are rarely bothered by the ro-
dents. Otherwise great damage is done,
the burrows caving in, undermining
the tracks and doing other injury.
In early spring the greatest damage
is done. With the alternate freezing
and thawing at that time of the year
the coverings of the underground pas
sages fall in, exposing cavities of SUI
prising extent to one who does not know
the amount of subterranean work these
animals are capable of doing. Much
vigilance with eyes and ears is often re-
quired to prevent such caving from
causing disastrous injury to property.
The burrows commonly extend into the
bank for distance of from 10 to 30
feet. There are usually two openings
from which passages lead backward and
upward from the stream very crooked
ly. They end in large gallery, which
is the home of the muskrat. Washing
ton Star.