The Muskrat 93 
you so far forget yourself as to desire to get one in 
a certain position. 
The ancient forest has been swept away and old 
water courses with their adjacent marshes have long 
since become dry. With these changes have vanished 
the beaver, the wolf, the moose, and the timid deer; 
the muskrat, however, has remained, wisely accommo- 
A MUSKRAT STREAM IN WINTER 
dating himself to the new surroundings until now 
his mode of life is almost as artificial as that which 
hems him in on all sides. We love to think of him 
in the open marsh, where the ‘‘boom” of the bittern 
mingles with the deep bass of the frogs. It is here in 
early summer, at the close of day, that we may find 
