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M Y G A L E. 



and the adjoining part of Siberia, and also between 

 the west of Russia and the proximate part of Poland, 

 vet Pallas, notwithstanding the zeal and industry of 

 his researches, was never able to meet with the musk 

 rat, either to the east of the Volga, or to the west of 

 the Dnieper. Within these limits in longitude, it does 

 not inhabit very far to the north, not higher than the 

 sixty-sixth degree of latitude, and its chief haunts 

 are upon the river Don and its affluents. The climate 

 of Norway is, however, tar milder in high latitudes 

 than that of Russia ; and accordingly the animal is 

 there found much farther to the north ; not in such 

 numbers, certainly, as in central and southern Rus- 

 sia ; but still skins have been imported into Germany 

 by the Swedes ; and there is no doubt from some 

 northern part of Sweden. 



As this is decidedly the most aquatic of all mam- 

 malia which retain in chief part the land type, it is, 

 independently of its mere organs of motion through 

 the water, furnished with additional accommodations, 

 which perhaps no other animal possesses in an equal 

 degree. Its mode of feeding is not to follow its prey 

 through the free waters, and catch it by speed as the 

 otter catches fish, because its food consists of ani- 

 mals so small, that they would not singly repay it for 

 the labour of a chase ; and consequently, if it were 

 left to this mode of finding its food, it would have no 

 other alternative but to starve ; because an animal 

 evon of its moderate size, hunting for insects through 

 a medium of so much resistance as water, could not 

 possibly capture as many insects as would supply the 

 waste occasioned by its labours. Therefore, it is so 

 formed, that it preys at the bottom, and dabbles with its 

 nose in the mud and sludge, something in the same way 

 as a duck. Nor is there any doubt that its produced 

 nose is endowed with very keen senses, both of smell- 

 ing and of touch. The nostrils, opening like the 

 bells of little French horns, show clearly that it must 

 have a keen sense of smell ; and the continual mo- 

 tion of the nose, together with the papillae with 

 which the naked part of it is beset, show as clearly 

 that it is equally keen in respect of touch. It is per- 

 fectly evident, indeed, that these are the only two 

 senses upon which the animal can depend for its 

 food ; for the insects in the sludge are of course 

 equally silent and invisible ; and therefore, in finding 

 its food, the most essential of all its occupations, it 

 can have little or no dependence upon ears or eyes. 

 It is thus in some sort reduced to the state of the 

 mole ; and this is no doubt the reason why, in the 

 form of the cranium, and the general air of the head, 

 it has so much resemblance to that animal, though 

 modified so as to work in a much softer substance. 



This habit of the musk rat, in going always to the 

 bottom, in order to find its food, requires a peculiar 

 apparatus ; and it is accordingly furnished with one. 

 The subcutaneous muscle is remarkably strong ; and 

 it is voluntary over the whole body, in the same man- 

 ner as it is over the human forehead, and in the skins 

 of various animals, even pachydermatous ones ; for 

 the elephant can shake oft' not only an offending sub- 

 stance, but often a beast of prey, by this means alone. 

 The power of the muscle in the musk rat is not di- 

 rected to the shaking- off of anything from it ; for 

 while it is in health the fur prevents all adhesion 

 either of mud or water ; but the muscle can expand 

 and contract the whole skin, and thus alter the spe- 

 cific gravity of the body, so that it can ascend or 

 descend in the water by mere changes of gravitation. 



The naked part of the nose is the portion of its body 

 of which this animal takes the greatest care ; and it 

 is said never to allow that to get dry a state which 

 would no doubt weaken its powers both of sensation 

 and of motion. It is probable, too, that the conti- 

 nual agitation of this organ is intended to keep the 

 muscles in constant readiness for those motions of 

 which they are the organs, and without which the 

 animal would be incapable of feeding, and would of 

 necessity perish. There is an additional means of 

 touch in this very complete organ. The circum- 

 ference of the nostrils is beset round with short hairs, 

 forming a sort of whiskers, which the animal has the 

 power of projecting forwards or reflecting backwards 

 at pleasure. When it is in a state of repose, they 

 are always reflected ; but when it goes to work they 

 are advanced forwards ; and as it can no more see 

 the bottom in which it is to work, than it can see the 

 small animals for which it searches there those append- 

 ages to the nose in all probability inform it of its 

 arrival at a place fit for beginning its dabbling opera- 

 tions. Notwithstanding its blindness, it is not a noc- 

 turnal animal, but sleeps during the night, though it 

 is said to keep up the motion of the nose, and even 

 to change its place, during its sleep. Water is so 

 indispensable to it, that Pallas was unable to keep 

 one alive more than three days without access to it. 

 When it is placed in a small quantity of water, that 

 water is very speedily rendered most offensive to the 

 srnell ; and when it is communicated to any sub- 

 stance, it remains for a great length of time. When 

 Pallas was making his experiments upon the animal, 

 he applied a thermometer for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining its heat which he found to be ninety-eight 

 degrees of Fahrenheit, or nearly that of the human 

 body. The thermometer got impregnated with the 

 offensive odour of the animal, however, and retained 

 it for fourteen years. 



We may further mention of this very singular 

 animal, and it is unquestionably the most singular 

 subject of European zoology, and apparently peculiar 

 to Europe, that the nerves which supply the organs 

 of touch and of smelling are remarkably large, and 

 ramified toward the naked part of the nose in a very 

 thickly-netted plexus. The clavicles and the blade- 

 bones are well developed, and bear about the same 

 proportion as those of the mole, having to support 

 both the digging and the swimming motions. There 

 is but little action of the spine, and the habits of the 

 animal do not require much. Of the dorsal vertebrae 

 only the three last ones of thirteen have spinous pro- 

 cesses. There are six lumbar vertebrae, five sacral, 

 and twenty-six in the tail. We omitted to mention, 

 in speaking of that instrument, that it is covered with 

 small scales alternately with short scattered hairs. 

 There are also some scales on the naked portion of 

 the upper sides of the toes. Altogether it is a most 

 extraordinary creature, both in its structure and its 

 habits. There is no parallel to it in the whole range 

 of the mammalia, and there is certainly no country 

 possessing the same physical character as that part 

 of Russia in which it is found. That country has a 

 winter almost Siberian, alternating with a summer 

 nearlv tropical, and the changes from the one to the 

 other" take place without the intervention of any 

 season deserving the name of spring or of autumn. 

 As the name "musk rat" is calculated to mislead, 

 by inducing the ignorant to refer the animal to a 

 wrong order, it would be very desirable to change it 



