90 Quadrupeds. 



work down, and lay it again more evenly. It was asto. 

 nishing how well he managed to arrange the incon^ 

 gruous materials he had chosen, and how cleverly he 

 contrived io remove them, sometimes .carrying them 

 between his right lore-paw and his chin, sometimes 

 dragging them with his teeth, and sometimes pushing 

 them along with his chin. When he had built his walls, 

 he made himself a nest in the centre, and sat up in it, 

 combing his hair with the nails of his hind feet. 



THE MUSK EAT, (Fiber ZibetMcus,) 



Is a native of Canada, and resembles the beaver in many 

 of his habits. He has a fine musky scent, and makes 

 his holes in marshes and by the waterside, with two or 

 three ways to get in or go out, and several distinct 

 apartments : he is said to contrive one entrance to his 

 hole always below the water, that he may not be frozen 

 out by the ice. This animal is called the Musquash in 

 America, and its fur is used, like that of the beaver, in 

 the manufacture of hats, four or five hundred thousand 

 skins being said to be sent to Europe every year for 

 that purpose. Musk Rats are always seen in pairs ; and 

 though watchful, are not timid, as they will often 

 approach quite close to a boat or other vessel. In 

 spring they feed on pieces of wood, which they peel 

 carefully ; and they are particularly fond of the roots of 

 the sweet flag ( Acorus Calamus). In Canada this animal 

 is called the Ondatra. 



