78 BUILDERS AND MINERS. 



water. Up in this dome, skilfully constructed, 

 is his suite of apartments, the entrance to which 

 is far below the surface of the water. His habits 

 very nearly approximate those of the beaver : he 

 swims about boldly in the daytime, but dives 

 rapidly on the approach of danger. If a dead or 

 badly-wounded duck be left on the pool, it is 

 at once seized on, towed into the house, and 

 devoured. 



I am quite satisfied, from careful observation, 

 that the Musk Rat is a carnivorous beast when- 

 ever he has a chance; and the straight, sharp- 

 cutting, strong incisor-teeth are well adapted for 

 the indulgence of cannibal propensities. 



If there were no rushes growing where this 

 mud-rover lived, it might be assumed that he 

 dug a hole into the bank from lack of material 

 to build a house; but I have often seen the 

 rushes growing abundantly where he has chosen 

 his mud hut, offering every facility for architec- 

 tural pursuits, had he so willed. On the other 

 hand, had the rush-builder been precluded from 

 finding a mud-bank in which to construct his 

 mansion, it might have been supposed that he 

 had resorted to making a hut with rushes on that 

 account. 



