A NATURALIST. 53 



A closer examination of the locality showed the foot- 

 steps of a quadruped which I readily believed to be the 

 muskrat, more especially as upon examining the adjacent 

 banks numerous traces of burrows were discoverable. It 

 is not a little singular that this animal, unlike all others 

 of the larger gnawers, as the beaver, &c. appears to in- 

 crease instead of diminishing with the increase of popu- 

 lation. Whether it is that the dams and other works 

 thrown up by men, afford more favourable situations for 

 their multiplication, or their favourite food is found in 

 greater abundance, they certainly are quite as numerous 

 now, if not more so, than when the country was first dis- 

 covered, and are to be found at this time almost within 

 the limits of the city. By the construction of their teeth, 

 as well as all the parts of the body, they are closely allied 

 to the rat kind ; though in size and some peculiarities of 

 habit, they more closely approximate the beaver. They 

 resemble the rat especially, in not being exclusively 

 herbivorous, as is shown by their feeding on the uniones 

 or muscles above mentioned. To obtain this food, re- 

 quires no small exertion of their strength ; and they ac- 

 complish it by introducing the claws of their fore-paws 

 between the two edges of the shell, and tearing it open 

 by main force. Whoever has tried to force open one of 

 these shells, containing a living animal, may form an 

 idea of the effort made by the muskrat: the strength of 

 a strong man would be requisite to produce the same re- 

 sult in the same way. 



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