Muskrat 553 



was near Rapid City, October 2, 1883. Again at Carberry, 

 September 5, 1892, George Scollan brought me a Muskrat 

 that was on the trail leading into Kennedy's Plain. It had 

 claimed the right of way from him, and believed that right 

 was might. 



Another of these fighting adventurers is reported by Dr. 

 F. J. Cadham, of Winnipeg. In October, 1903, while driving 

 on the open prairie seven miles west of the city, he saw a 

 Muskrat travelling. He jumped out and gave chase, but it 

 turned at once to face him, and fought till killed. 



Yet another from Germantown is thus described by 

 Arthur C. Emlen:^ *'In the blizzard of 1899 a boy I know had 

 a curious adventure with a Muskrat. He was coming home 

 late one night when he saw some dark object run across the 

 lane in front of him; before he knew it the Muskrat ran up 

 his leg. No sooner was it thrown off than it started up the 

 other leg. After quite a fight the boy managed to kill the Musk- 

 rat with his umbrella. I saw both the Rat and the umbrella 

 afterward; there was not much left of either. The strange 

 part of this story is that it took place on a hill not very near any 

 Muskrat haunts, so that the boy could not have been trespass- 

 ing on the Muskrat's grounds." 



Most naturalists can contribute instances of the Muskrat's 

 ferocity, but in none that have come under my notice was the 

 animal in the water. In each case it was surprised on land, 

 and, finding itself at a desperate disadvantage, it manifested 

 the courage of desperation 



On the land the Muskrat is slow; a man can easily catch speed 

 one. But the water is its proper element; here it swims and 

 dives almost like an Otter. I have often run along on the thin, 

 clear ice, over a Muskrat that was swimming just oelow, and 

 found it was going at what I should call 3 miles an hour, and 

 could dive and swim about one hundred yards without com- 

 ing up for breath. From observations made while walking 



' Letter, Oct. 7, 1900, A. C. Emlen, Awbur}', Germantown, Pa. 



