88 The Muskrat 
prongs about eight inches long, while the others are 
each armed with an axe. 
The party, thus properly equipped, arrives at the 
marsh and cautiously approaches a muskrat lodge on 
the southern exposure. This side being naturally the 
warmest, the muskrats are more apt to be found here, 
resting snugly in their warm beds. The experienced 
hunter can usually locate the exact spot above the 
muskrats by the delicate frostwork upon the outside 
of the lodge, produced by the warmth of their bodies. 
This spot having been located, the spearman drives the 
sharp prongs through five or six inches of the lodge 
wall, and usually pins one or more of the inmates; 
another hunter instantly breaks the lodge open with 
his axe, and assists in securing the muskrats already 
speared by his companion; while the other hunters 
watch for the escaping muskrats, as they plunge into 
the water at the first indication of outside disturbance. 
Usually the water is not very deep and the muskrats 
swim quite close to the ice. A sharp blow with the 
head of the axe upon the ice directly above the musk- 
rat will ordinarily stun it so effectually that when a 
hole is cut in the ice, the game may be secured without 
difficulty. If the lodge is not badly demolished and the 
weather not too severe, the surviving muskrats will re- 
turn the following night to repair their home. ‘Thus 
