The Muskrat 93 



you so far forget yourself as to desire to get one in 

 a certain position. 



The ancient forest has been swept away and old 

 water courses with their adjacent marshes have long 

 since become dry. With these changes have vanished 

 the beaver, the wolf, the moose, and the timid deer; 

 the muskrat, however, has remained, wisely. accommo- 



A MtrsKRAT Stream in Winter 



dating himself to the new surroundings until now 

 his mode of life is almost as artificial as that which 

 hems him in on all sides. We love to think of him 

 in the open marsh, where the "boom" of the bittern 

 mingles with the deep bass of the frogs. It is here in 

 early summer, at the close of day, that we may find 



