JANUARY. 19 



gard it, as designed for the purpose that it accomplished, 

 namely, the cat's discomfiture. 



To return to the musk-rat. I continually headed it 

 off, and did not notice at the time that in spite of my 

 movements it pursued the same general direction. Often 

 I was startled by the mighty leaps it made, not quite clear- 

 ing the water, but so disturbing it that for the moment I 

 lost sight of it in the commotion. Whenever I approached 

 very near, and stooped as though to touch it, the rat would 

 show its teeth and look more ferociously than ever, but utter 

 no sound. Even when it came to a hassock or thickset 

 growth of weeds it made no attempt to dive, but once, on 

 the contrary, climbed quite above the water, upon a low 

 projecting stump, and squatted upon its hind-legs, as though 

 to see what chance, if any, offered to rid itself of my ob- 

 noxious presence. Certainly, the controlling emotion of 

 the animal was intense anger and a determination to 

 frighten me, rather than that of fear, which under such 

 circumstances would have overcome its discretion and 

 rendered it helpless. 



Perhaps the cunning rat knew the geography of the 

 meadows better than I, for, as it proved, a deep and wide 

 ditch was soon reached, and when I was quite off my 

 guard the animal gave one desperate plunge and disap- 

 peared ; an effort on its part so vehement that it may well 

 be described as explosive. 



I must confess to the cruelty of my actions in all this, 

 for the mental suffering of the musk-rat was doubtless in- 

 tense. " Suppose I had been teased in this manner by a 

 cougar or bear," I said to myself, and, as I walked away, 

 resolved in the future to be more merciful. 



But this spring-like mildness and the accompanying 

 freshet is but a transient feature of the month, and often 

 within the same week come bleak winter days. How full 



