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 mas-, 

 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 ! 



