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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



OUR MOST IMPORTANT FUR BEARER. 



THE muskrat has not yet been added to the 

 collections of the Aquarium, but being an 

 aquatic animal of convenient size there is no 

 reason why it should not have a place there. 



It is not its size nor the value of its pelt, but 

 its sheer abundance which makes the muskrat 

 our most important fur bearer; it predominates 

 in the fur trade not by quality but by quantity. 



A report on furs sold bj' Lampson & Co., of 

 London, during the year 1909, states that they 

 handled during the year, i^, 89^,000 skins of 

 "musquash," which is the fur trade name for the 

 muskrat. From publications of the United 

 States Fisheries Bureau and from other sources, 

 it appears that the annual yield of muskrat skins 

 is considerably in excess of five millions, about 

 one-quarter of the catch being made in Canada 

 where it is generally known by the Indian name 

 "musquash." 



The yield may in fact exceed six millions, as 

 recent advices from Louisiana indicate a catch 

 for that state of probably more than a million 

 skins during the year. 



The muskrat, {Fiber sibethicus), is a North 

 American animal, abundant in nearly all marshy 

 and well-watered regions from Virginia and the 

 IMississippi Valley, northward to Labrador and 

 Alaska. Although it bears one of the cheapest 

 pelts, its great abundance makes it very impor- 

 tant — exceeding any other species by more than 

 a million skins. 



It is principally used for imitating fur seal, 

 the hair being plucked which exposes the soft 

 under fur, but it does not wear as well, the fur 

 having a tendency to become matted down. The 

 so-called "electric seal" of the fur trade is made 

 of muskrat skins. "French seal" is another name 

 applied to the muskrat counterfeit. It is often 

 dved to imitate other furs of a higher price and 

 has long been in great demand for coat linings 

 and trimmings. 



Judging from the prices of the Lampson sales 

 catalogue, the average value in the market ap- 

 pears to be less than fiftj' cents, but the price 

 received by trappers in the United States would 

 probably range from ten to twent}' cents apiece. 

 Skins from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 Maine, New York, Michigan and Wisconsin 

 bring a higher price. Black skins which are 

 quite common are more valuable than those of 

 the normal brown color. 



The muskrat flourishes quite as well in the 

 great salt marshes of the Atlantic Coast, as it 

 does in fresh water marshes in the interior. A 

 large proportion of the United States catch is 

 made in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. 



Recent iuquiries b}' the United States Bureau of 

 Biology show that nmskrat trapping is a verj' 

 important industry' in this region, Dorchester 

 County, Maryland, alone producing about '250,- 

 000 skins in 1909- Along the eastern shore of 

 Maryland the marshes are regularly leased for 

 such trapping. 



The muskrat is a cleanly animal and a vege- 

 table feeder, subsisting largely on roots of water 

 plants such as lilies and calamus. It is not 

 known to consume much animal food except 

 fresh water mussels. During canoe trips on the 

 upper Delaware River I found numerous small 

 heaps of mussel shells on the rocks along the 

 shore, showing where the muskrats had been 

 feeding. On one evening I observed a group of 

 muskrats diving persistently in shallow water 

 near the shore and on the following morning 

 found there a large bed of fresh water mussels. 



In most localities where the muskrat is taken 

 in abundance, the flesh is used extensively for 

 food. 



It is captured chiefly by means of steel traps. 

 Spears are used to a considerable extent, being 

 driven through the tops of their mound-like 

 houses which may be found all about the 

 marshes. Many are taken by shooting but this 

 injures the value of the skin. 



It is a verj' prolific animal, breeding several 

 times a year and having from three to twelve at 

 a litter, which accounts for its wonderful abund- 

 ance. The aquatic and nocturnal habits as well 

 as the fecundity of the muskrat serve to protect 

 it. Man is its principal enemy, but it is preyed 

 upon to some extent by minks, otters and owls. 

 In some states where its capture is important, it 

 is protected by law for a portion of the year. 



It is rather abundant in the lower courses of 

 the Yukon, Kuskokwim and other Alaskan rivers 

 and I have seen muskrats in the Kowak River 

 above the Arctic Circle. The natives use the 

 skin to some extent for clothing. 



Although restricted to North America the im- 

 portance of the muskrat to the fur trade should 

 warrant its introduction into the marsh lands of 

 other northern countries especially Eurojie. 

 where the sale of muskrat skins is very great. 

 In most localities it is harmless and unobjection- 

 able, but it causes some loss to real estate by bur- 

 rowing in the banks of streams and is quite 

 troublesome for this reason along the banks of 

 canals. Its introduction into Holland would not 

 be appropriate. 



The writer has recommended its introduction 

 into the fresh water lakes of the Pribilof Islands 

 where there are 300 resident natives of Alaska 

 employed in the taking of fur seals. If there 

 were muskrats on the islands, their capture 



