New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-01
MUsKRATs UNDER THE SNOW.
How They Have Sought Food by Way .
Tunnels This Snowy Winter.

After light snowfall. the wild creatures ikelas
about their daily work leave a very legbls record
behind them Not only may their footprints be-
plainly seen upon the surface. but each footprint
will be abort the same size the foot which made
It; and moreover, the details OF the and toe
nails viii all be present for examination When tho
is deeper the individual footprints may stiI
be there but the fine details will be lost and as IL
becomes still deeper. even the separate footprints
will be lost beneath the snow which falls into and
partly Obliterates the tracks Eventually theirs Is q
point at which some Of the animals Longer at
tempt to travel on the snow: they find it easier
or more TO the purpose to travel the ground be-
meath II.
After one OF the recent heavy snowstorrns was
walking by the side OF a stream where uusgrats
are abundant and where their tracks ara USUALLY,
to be found. either in the mud or the snow thu
whole year round There was not a sign OF their
having left the water. and. indeed the stream and
the meadows on either side OF 1t presented one un
broken field OF snow.
However knew that Il they were alive they
must be getting food somewhere. as they do noe
store away supplies as the beavers do: so I walked
along to investigate. Without warning 7 sank to
the hips in hole which proved to be the mogth e
a muskrat burrow.
evident that the burrow was in daily use and .thas
1t connected with tunnel which ran out undeE the
Snow. Procuring snow shovel from farm near
by. removed the upper surface OF the snow from
considerable SeCuOn or Ln6 HELD ana uncovered q
subway system which. for eomplexity, outdid the
underground railways in any OF our large cities.
The tunnels far out into the field. sometimes
IN long. Irregular single loops and sometimes cross
Ing and recrossng other tunnels, until tr was no
easy matter 10 trace them. But all the tunnels lea
to the hole into which had accidentally stepped,
and this was very suggestive OF great ratHoaG
terminus.
The whole represented no insignificant engineering.
feat on the part OF the rats. which had evidently
been hunting for grains OF corn for 10 was corn
field they had been working in. and snaWed hbsEa
here and there showed thar they had probably had
at least some success
Later in the afternoon 7 came to another CORN
field, where, for some reason the shocks had been
left since the fall Many or them still stand
ing but some had beer blown over BY a wind,
which had also swept Rvay much OF the snow
leaving in many places more than an inch
The surface o. this particularly between cha
shocks. was marked BY narrow ridges. Whichldn
Gated plain = as a map could have done. the
routes taken by small animals in their four
news from one shock to another.
BY carefully scraplng away the surface snow ]
found that the ridge we're the roofs OF tunnels
made by meadow mic ID presently verified he
observation by suddel opening OF the shacks.
to see several dark br short tailed thieves sour
-ying away among thg 1rnstalks. Under most Of thu
shocks were little nd holes IN the ground,s evi-
IDENTIFY the entrances to the subterranean homes OF
The mice.-(Boston Herald.