248 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



these wanderlusts, the individual muskrat is not the docile, 

 scary inhabitant of the marsh, but is rather an irrational 

 rodent with a disposition to fight it out with the man who 

 crosses its path. 



In May, 1927, a fur buyer for a Baton Rouge raw-pelt 

 dealer, driving a truck between Gonzales and Sorrento, As- 

 cension Parish, ran his auto through such a migration of 

 muskrats crossing the gravel road in an east to west direc- 

 tion. One of the migrants was run over and the buyer 

 skinned the animal as a curiosity and reported the occur- 

 rence to his employer. According to this man's story he 

 saw from a dozen to 20 of the muskrats crossing the high- 

 way. 



The Muskrat an Engineer 



Muskrats are decidedly amphibious in their habits, and 

 no animal, even the beaver, is more aquatic than the Louisi- 

 ana muskrat. Neither is the celebrated beaver a better 

 builder or engineer. 



On the general habits of the Louisiana muskrat Vernon 

 Bailey reported his observations as follows: 



"In habits, the Louisiana species differs from other 

 muskiats only in adaptation to unusual environmental and 

 climatic conditions. On the rather dry marshes they dig 

 for water and food and have acquired almost the burrow- 

 ing ability of pocket gophers. Many of their burrows do 

 not reach water, but merely extend under the tough sod 

 for long distances among the roots of the sedges, grasses, 

 canes, and cattails, on which they feed. At times of heavy 

 rains or high tides these burrows usually fill up with water, 

 but at other times they stand dry or merely moist and 

 muddy. When the burrows are made the ground is often 

 dry, but the muskrats burrow indifferently through dry or 

 wet ground, both in search of food and as a means of safe 

 travel from place to place, and even of communication be- 

 tween neighboring houses. 



"In walking over the marshes one is constantly caving 

 into or feeling the give of these burrows below the sod. 

 In places the marshes are honeycombed with them. The 

 burrows open out to the surfaces in numerous places under 

 cover of the tall grass, and some of these doors are regular 



