THE DAESMAN, OR DESMAN. 



aberrations from the usual tenor of its way are only caused by its eagerness in seeking 

 its intended mate, and are limited to the short season of matrimonial enterprise. Dur- 

 ing the remainder of the year the Daesman never voluntarily quits the water ; and even 

 if it makes little journeys from one pond or stream to another, it is generally found to 

 make use of ditches or wet channels as the roads by which it proceeds ; or, in default 

 of such aqueous paths, to traverse the distance by means of a subterraneous tunnel. 



The scent which exudes from the Daesman is of a musky character, and so extremely 

 powerful that it is locally known by the name of the Musk-Rat. It is of a most 

 penetrating character, and so thoroughly saturates every substance that may have come 

 in contact with it, that the odor is with the greatest difficulty removed. The pike and 

 other predaceous fish which inhabit the same waters are accustomed to eat the Daes- 

 man, whenever they can succeed in capturing it, and, by the odor of their prey, their 

 flesh becomes so tainted that it is unfit for human consumption. The glands which 

 produce this powerful scent are placed near the tail, and arranged in a double row. 



DAESMAN, OR DESMAN. Galemys Pyrendlca. 



The food of the Daesman is chiefly of an animal character, as might be imagined 

 from the arrangement and shape of the teeth, and the general habits of the animal. In 

 the stomachs of several of these creatures that have been dissected, were found the 

 remains of larvae of various kinds, and of earthworms but nothing of a vegetable nature. 

 Yet it has been asserted by several writers that the animal diet is sometimes mixed 

 with vegetable food ; and that the Daesman will on occasions make a meal of aquatic 

 roots and of acorns, of which latter articles it lays up a store in the recesses of its 

 burrow. Small fish and frogs are known to form part of its food. 



The habits which have just been mentioned are common to the entire genus Galemys ; 

 two species of which are known to exist, the one being the Russian Daesman, and the 

 other the animal which is depicted in the engraving. 



The Russian Daesman is about seventeen inches in total length, the head and body 

 being ten inches long, and the tail seven inches. On account of its aquatic propensities, 

 and the peculiar aspect of its incisor teeth, the Daesman was formerly thought to be a 

 rodent animal, and allied to the beavers, among which creatures it was classed, under 

 the name of Castor moschatus, or Musky Beaver. Its fur is much esteemed on account 

 of its rich color, long silky texture, and warm character. The color of the Russian 

 Daesman is brown on the upper portions of the body, becoming darker on the flanks, 

 and fading suddenly into silvery white on the abdomen. The peculiar warmth of the 



