>,^ Sliira.-., 31^1 



A MUSKRAT PUI.I.ING ON A CE:Lt:RY ROOT 



During several seasons, by automatic camera and flashlight, a large number of night 

 pictures were taken of muskrats, which are not easy to photograph in daytime, as they are 

 largely nocturnal or abroad only toward dusk (see text, page 782). 



stretched across the feeding place. Wa- 

 ter was dashed wherever any trace of 

 scent was apt to be, and that night came 

 a flash, visible from my bed-room win- 

 dow. A good picture resulted and the 

 camera was reset ; but nothing came for 

 nearly 10 days, when once more a pic- 

 ture of the same deer was taken. This 

 time no effort was made for another pic- 

 ture, but the place was kept well baited, 

 until from a canoe I could see fresh 

 tracks in the mud, when the camera was 

 once more placed in the box. 



After taking the third picture it was 

 impossible to get the deer to spring the 

 flashlight ; for, although, unquestionably 

 the black silk thread was invisible at 

 night, a slight pressure on the upper 

 limbs was noticed immediately and the 

 deer retreated. The abundance of por- 

 cupines and rabbits prevented placing 

 the thread closer to the ground. To meet 

 this difficulty, the leaves of a freshly cut 



bush were saturated with salt water, and 

 when the deer pushed into it the pressure 

 of the thread was unnoticed until too 

 late. The flash shows the deer nibbling 

 away (see page 769). 



Seven pictures were taken in 60 days, 

 when came the best surprise of all ; for 

 one night the doe brought her half-grown 

 fawn to the river, and with little concern 

 the latter walked into the flashlight string 

 just as the doe came into view (see page 

 770) ; but even then the instinctive effort 

 of the fawn to avoid the sharp pressure 

 of the thread is shown by the fore right 

 leg being thrown against the body. Ten 

 days later the doe walked into the thread 

 in a mass of loose branches, and it, too, 

 threw back its leg in the same way ; 

 while the fawn, with all the appearance 

 of knowing that there was apt to be 

 trouble in this locality, is shown gazing 

 in an expectant way at its mother (see 

 page 771). 



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