MUSKRATS 225 



where the stress of storm is unknown. Far be- 

 neath us sinuous black forms undulate through 

 the water, from tunnel to house and back again. 

 As we gaze down through the crystalline mass, 

 occasional fractures play pranks with the objects 

 below. The animate shapes seem to take unto 

 themselves greater bulk ; their tails broaden, their 

 bodies become many times longer. For a moment 

 the illusion is perfect ; thousands of centuries have 

 slipped back, and we are looking at the giant 

 beavers of old. 



Let us give thanks that even the humble musk- 

 rat still holds his own. A century or two hence 

 and posterity may look with wonder at his stuffed 

 skin in a museum ! 



