The Fur Animals of Louisiana 223 



Breeding Habits 



It is quite evident from field experiences that the musk- 

 rat is polygamous and this conclusion is in accord with the 

 beliefs held by all of the experienced trappers. 



While a number of writers have stated that the muskrat 

 is monogamous, and seemingly base their conclusions on 

 evidence that these animals work in pairs when construct- 

 ing houses, both carrying the building materials and foods, 

 it does not seem to be the case in Louisiana. Ernest Thomp- 

 son Seton in his life histories of Manitoba animals sets 

 forth that this trait of the male in assisting in bringing up 

 the young is characteristic only of monogamous animals. 



In this state careful investigations indicate that, while 

 pairs, a male and a female presumably, do work on a single 

 house or "hill" at the same time, other observations show 

 that pregnant females will construct a house alone and un- 

 aided, and several cases of a solitary male making himself 

 a very large and commodious dwelling place have been 

 noted. In each case, the animals were trapped to make sex- 

 ual identification positive and the house kept under daily 

 observance to obtain data as to rate of construction. 



Trappers know well that it is the habit of the boar to 

 travel a great deal, forcing his attention on all females 

 encountered while on his nocturnal love foray. Two males 

 meeting on these quests fall to fighting, they believe, and 

 these combats are the cause of cut and gnashed pelts fre- 

 quently found on trapped specimens. 



The fact that the fur animal we are so interested in is 

 largely nocturnal, even in sections where its domain is not 

 subject to intrusion by man or inquisitive scientists, makes 

 a study of its life history in the natural state difficult. As 

 it is not given to extensive or prolonged daylight activity, 

 we have to arrive at a number of our conclusions a la Sher- 

 lock Holmes, by deduction ; therefore, a number of conclu- 

 sions that follow are set down as a result of study of things 

 seen and things deduced from the evidence presented. 



