2o6 IN BERKSHIRE FIELDS 



beaver disappears before the march of man. Of 

 course, a beaver colony demands a considerably 

 larger body of water, with a higher water-level, and 

 much more food. The beavers must have their apl- 

 joining stand of willow and aspen shoots, or other 

 succulent bark. But the fact remains that these 

 most social of animals, with their highly developed 

 communal activities, their engineering genius, their 

 capacity for self-government and leadership, take 

 unkindly to man and all his ways, and all that is 

 left of them in great sections of America are the open 

 meadows by some forest brook that was once the 

 site of a beaver-pond. On the other hand, I can 

 take you to twenty muskrat-huts in the course of an 

 afternoon's stroll, and by making a hole in the sods 

 and cattail stalks which compose the domelike roof, 

 show you the air-chamber above the winter water- 

 line, and the passage down into the basement water- 

 chamber, which, in turn, leads out under the water 

 and ice to the feeding-grounds and the burrows in 

 the banks. I have often wondered why the musk- 

 rats come out of their ponds or streams or swamps 

 in winter and go awandering. They certainly can 

 find little to eat above the snow. Yet I have met 

 them occasionally a considerable distance from 

 water, in full daylight. Perhaps they were seeking 

 some other pond where there would be a fresh 

 supply of flag roots. I well remember meeting one 

 big fellow on our golf-course, walking over two feet 

 of snow. The dogs went for him, but got nipped 

 on the noses, whereupon they withdrew a few feet, 

 barking angrily. My companion stepped up and 

 poked the furry little fellow with his snow-shoe, 



