SAND DUNES AND SALT MARSHES 



bright blood near his tracks stamps his mur- 

 derous character. 



Only occasionally, when there is plenty of 

 water in the dune bogs, do the tracks of musk- 

 rats appear on the sand, and strangely enough 

 I have found them leading from one bog to 

 another over dry stretches of dune land. The 

 marks of the webbed hind foot can sometimes 

 be plainly made out, while the median groove 

 formed by the dragging tail is a conspicuous 

 feature, and makes the diagnosis easy. 



The skunk is certainly a beach-comber, but 

 his visits to the strand are with very rare 

 exceptions made only at night. The beach is 

 a happy hunting groimd for him, because, like 

 the fox, he enjoys the varied and gamey diet 

 that the place affords, and his tracks abound 

 there. They are also spread like a network 

 over the dunes, with here and there a small 

 pit where he has dug for grubs or cut-worms. 

 The footprints are often beautifully distinct 

 , in the sand, and show each toe and claw, and 

 these as well as the gait are characteristic. 



I once had an excellent opportunity to study 

 the gait, not merely in the tracks, but in the 

 living animal. With a friend I came upon a 

 skimk on the upper beach, and, by heading 



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