COLE ON HABITS OF A MUSKRAT. 203 



was allowed to strike the bare hand in this way and only after several trials was 

 he able to break the skin. He never bit unless grasped, when the teeth were used 

 to effect. 



In his cage he came to be quite at home, and resented intrusion, but out of the 

 cage and upon the floor of the room he was fully as wild as when first brought into 

 the laboratory, squeezing into the remotest corner and not even accepting food. 

 Placed in the cage again (his tail made a convenient handle for transferring him) 

 he was again at home in a short time. Upon one occasion at least he found his 

 way back into the cage by himself, having to climb up onto a bench, which he did 

 by the help of the water pipes, and then around on the vertical sides of the cage 

 to I'each the open door in front. This feat displayed an unexpected amount of 

 climbing ability. 



Upon two occasions the muskrat was found lying as if dead in the bottom of the 

 water tank, but upon being poked — though it required considerable vigor — soon 

 started up and began swimming about. It is not lilvely that he was sleeping in this 

 position, as it is doubtful if he could Irold his breath so long, and the only other ex- 

 planation is that being frightened by the entrance of people to the room he dived 

 to the bottom of the tank and -was "playing 'possum." This does not explain, how- 

 ever, why he should have done it only twice out of so many times that he dived 

 into the water upon being frightened. At other times he would sometimes remain 

 hidden for a considerable time under a board that was floating on the water. 



Reaction to an Edge. 



When the door of the cage was opened and the muskrat was called out to get 

 food which was held a little distance away, he usually paid no attention to the 

 edge of the cage until he was so far out that he began to fall, when he would re- 

 cover himself if possible. Not infrequently, however, it resulted in his landing on 

 his back on the floor some two feet below.^ This peculiar disregard of an edge can 

 only be considered as due to the conditions under which the animal normally lives. 

 There he seldom encounters an edge, at any considerable height at any rate, 

 and if he does it is in most cases probably the banlc of the river, a dive over which 

 brings him into the water without harm. One is not surprised to find a lack of 

 appreciation of vertical distance in an animal so low in the scale as the turtle, but 

 it does seem rather surprising that, even without previous experience, a muskrat 

 should not recognize the danger of falling from a height. 



On the morning of June 10, 1902, the muskrat was found dead on the floor of the 

 cage. The only ascribable cause of death was that he had been fed upon raw 

 potatoes for two days, there being no carrots at hand. On the night of the Sth 

 he ate about half a potato; on the 9th he was quiet and did not act hungry, though 

 he came to the door of the cage when called. Before this he had seemed to be in 

 the best of health and his death the next morning was a great surprise. 



Summary. 



Following is a summation of the principal observations: 



1. The muskrat accepted the conditions of confinement readily to a certain 

 extent, but then never became much tamer. 



2. Exhibited tendency for concealment and gathered suitable material into a 

 nest. 



3. Ate almost any vegetable food, including leaves and fruit; especially fond of 

 carrots. 



4. Came at call to take food from the hand. 



5. Almost invariably washed face and grated teeth before eating. 



6. Ate no animal food. 



7. Stored surplus of food in a certain place. 



8. Excrements always found in water. 



9. Living as it does upon rather soft food the Incisor teeth do not get wear 

 enough from what gnawing the animal does, so it wears and at the same time 

 sharpens them by grating them together before and at times while eating. 



1 He later learned to be a little more careful. 



