216 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



Catch of January 2?, 1028. East Cov;, Cameron Parish. 



Suckled females 11 or 7.3% of catch 



Females with embryos 25 or 16.7% of catch 



Non-breeding females 114 or 76.0% of catch 



Total females 150 or 29.1% of catch 



The embryonic count is interesting as it shows that our 

 estimate of, practically, 4 to a litter is normal, and that the 

 extremes in the middle of winter are 3 and 7. In this count 

 1 1 females contained 3 embryos, 8 had 4 ; 5 had 5 ; and 1 



had 7. 



The "damaged" 'rats reported in the tabulation included 

 only those muskrats whose backs were punctured by birds 

 or other animals. If only the belly skin was lacerated it is 

 not counted as a damaged. According to Alford Stark, 

 "these damages are caused by a rat which looks like the 

 common old house rat. They cut and eat the flesh of the 

 muskrat, although we know muskrats themselves cut each 

 other when trapped as we frequently find old lacerations 

 on the pelts." 



