The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-18

the river bank saw muskrat in a queer
fix. The rat was trying to push a raft Of
green leaves down stream, and 1t seemed
1t would not go his way. Instead, 1t kept
working over toward the opposite bank.
Jonah stopped work to investigate this,
for he saw that the bunch of leaves was
moving against the current, and that, too,
despite the rats most earnest efforts.
Then, looking closer, he saw that some
thing was moving in front of and on the
further side of the leaves from the musk
rat. Two small black heads were all he
could see, but he made up his mind they
were minks.
The poor old rat Iabored and struggled,
but gradually was carried over under the
western bank. Scarcely had the green
mass and its propellers passed under the
edge when with quick swirl two more
minks sprang from behind a sunken root
and fastened their jaws in the rats neck.
The two that had been pushing the raft
Joined the others, and there were four
minks all hanging to one big rats neck.
The latter was heavy and plucky chap
but the odds were too great for him. In
moment or two, with a shrill whistling
cry, he keeled over and floated on the
surface. The minks at once abandoned
the body and allowed 1t to drift away down
stream. The bunch of green had been
scattered in the scuffie, and the pieces
drifted off unnoticed by the victors. Evil
IDENTIFY they had not killed for plumber.
1t was not more than five minutes before
another water rat came pushing a load of
food down stream to his youngsters at
home. Like the first he was gradually
worked over into the den of the small
murdercrs and quickly dispatched. The
four minks worked Systematically and
without the slightest confusion or hesita-
ton. Two always worked the floating stuff
over to the den, where one assistant leap
ed from a root upon the rat and the other
came up under him at the same instant.
Jonah watched them for nearly two
hours and saw them ambush in this cum
ming fashion and murder eleven rats. What
their motive was is beyond even the wis
dom of the old village seers, who never
heard of any such performance Old Judge
Dickinson advances the only solution of
the puzzle which seems worthy of at
tention. He says that the pool where the
minks den is has always been favorite
lair for fish. Trout, sunf1sh, dace and
sinners lie in there and afford the minks
a good living. The past year or so the
muskrats have increased in numbers enor-
mously. Not only do they kill many fish
themselves, and thus reduce the minks'
supply of food, but, what Is more to the
point, they gather fresh grass and weeds
in the meadow above the broken dam all
day long and keep floating it down through
this pool to their own nests below 1t is
probable that continual passage with big
punches has disturbed and driven away
most of the fish, and the minks find their
source of livelihood in danger of being
destroyed. They have been cunning
enough to figure out the cause. and are
bent upon removing 1t. Certainly this
idea is plausible, and the well-known resi-
ness and subtle quickness of the minks
render 1t even highly probable. At all
events, they are killing scores of rats
every week. and If they continue at their
present rate of destruction there will not
be a living muskrat south Of Sylvester's
Woods