The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-01-26


ness OF the inner chamber. 10 which
the trapper has gained access by re-
moving bit OF the wall. now neatly
replaced.
only spendthrift trappers follow this
wasteful practice. bur they carry II
on in fall and winter. especially in the
latter season. when the ice facilitates
travel over the marsh.
At these seasons men 80 quietly
among the muSkrat-houSeS. armed
with one-tined spears. which they
drive with such accuracy that they
rarely fail 10 strike the inner chamber
ana almost always impale one victim,
| and oftener two.
The direSt calamity that can befa!l
The muskrat occurs when, at a low
stage of water. extremely cold weather
freezes the marsh TO the bottom and
cuts the animals of from the supply
or aquatic roots. Whole families
starye in the houses: few dig their
way 10 the outer world and wander
| far and wide over the snowy waste in
quest of food. perhaps To find some
perish by starvation or violence. In
their eager quest for water. they some
times gnaw through lead pipes, and
| so work n deal of mischief
BUT there are always some who sur
vive all the dangers that beSet them.
and see the beauty OF spring again
unfold upon the earth Then the sun
| lii. open water invites them 10 freedom
| ana bOuntcOuS fare. and their unten-
anted houses go adrift in wrack and
ruin, on the wide overflow of the
spring flood. The scattered remnant
| of survivors coast along the low shores
| in quest of mates, whining Il plaintive
| call as they ply their noiSelcSs paddles.
| \ traveller tells of hearing a cry which
| he miStook for that of baby. but
discovered 10 be the plant of a tame
beaver. which was being abused hy
| some Indian children. So we may
| conclude that the muskrat and beaver
have another point Of resemblance in
| their voices.
Having found mates. rs have the
garrulouS biackh.rdS in the trees above
| them. the ducks splashinG into the
| water beside them, and the bittcrns
| making nuptial rejoicing from drowsy
Sun-bathed coveS. they begin TO in
| crease ana multiply their kind. In a
| few favOring seasons the marshes are
again populous with furry inhabitants.
| and the conical huts are thick along
| the border of the channel in autumn
| 1t is wonderful how through all the
years the muSkratS maintain their
| numbers. for they are not sagacious or
shy of man; indeed. they frequently
| establish themselves in close neigh
| borhood to him. and make little at
! tempt at concealment. They blundcr
| carelessly into traps, and do not un-
derstand the danger-sgnal OF human
scent.
A writer on natural history tells
| us, in illustration Of these animals
| sagacity, that in swimming from place
| TO place TO escape detection they will
cover their heads with a green twig
| held in their mouths. AS a matter Of
| fact, however. this is simply their
mode Of carrying food TO their bur
rows. and usually their burdens do not
| conceal their heads at all, but trail
| beside or behind them.
| When alarmed. the muskrat dives
quick as fash, and swims far and
| well under water before breaking the
surface for air: and this seems to be
his only idea of escaping from danger.
The secret of the persistent holding
out Of the muskrat against the perse-
| cution Of natural enemies and the
| relentless pursuit by man lies i'm its
fecundity. its hardness. its easy
adaptation TO changed conditions, and
| the abundance of food supplied by
every stream in which watcrplants
grow and the fresh-water mussel lives
Long may the tribe endure to give a
touch OF wild life TO our tanned
streams.-YOuth's Companion.