LIFE IN PONDS AND MARSHES 



303 



the old days was a veritable paradise for the naturalist; 

 all of its fauna and flora are by no means well known 

 at this date. 



Most of the writer's experiences with muskrats have 

 been in New England and the Gulf States ; they were 

 very abundant in the salt water marshes along the shores 

 of Long Island Sound in Connecticut in the early 6o's. 

 Late in the fall, these animals build their well-known 

 "nests," also known as cabins or lodges, selecting places 

 usually below high-water mark, and as secluded and in- 

 accessible as possible. As winter comes on, they occupy 

 these nests, and pass that entire season in them. As the 

 marsh freezes over, the nests afford them a place where 

 they can breathe the open air, and be, at least to some 

 extent, safe from their enemies, except man. In them, 

 too, they gather the food upon which they live the winter 

 through, such as lily-roots, mussels, and so on. Musk- 

 rat hunters often open up these nests when they can 

 reach them by walking over the ice in the winter. 



Many years ago, during a very severe winter, I wit- 

 nessed the sudden ripping open of one of these dome- 



shaped nests by several men who were old muskrat hunt- 

 ers, and who had taken the precaution to plug the avenues 

 of escape. To the surprise of every one, there were no 

 fewer than eleven fine rats in the upper apartment of 

 the nest; but, although they squealed and fought like 

 good fellows, they were all soon despatched with heavy 

 sticks, some of them giving the men quite a chase in 

 the light snow. 



Usually not more than four or five occupy this part 

 of the nest during the winter, and they take pains to 

 line it well with soft marsh-grass or some similar material 

 that they can conveniently gather in the autumn; it 

 makes a nice place to curl up and sleep the long winter, 

 huddled together to keep warm. 



Good muskrat skins in those days fetched about a 

 dollar and a half each ; so this five-minutes take netted 

 the men sixteen dollars and fifty cents, which piece of 

 good fortune was the talk of the village hunters and 

 others for many a day. 



Besides muskrats, there are a number of other mam- 

 mals one may meet with in swamps and marshes in 



AT THE TERMINUS OF THE DYKE 



Marshy banks of the Potomac River at low water, nearly opposite Washington. The home of big water snakes, frogs, various species of 

 ducks in season, two or three species of turtles, several different kinds of water birds, and other inhabitants of the river marshes. 

 Photograph by the author. 



