194 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



after it has been purified by contact with the ice and water. Musk-Rats 

 have a habit of slapping the water with their tails like Beavers, and this 

 serves as a warning of danger; their ordinary voice is a squeak, or a 

 whimpering note when swimming happily about. The young ones, 

 which are, as in Mice and Rats generally, naked and blind at first, 

 are born in the burrows, and two or more litters, of five to nine each, 

 are produced yearly. Being so prolific, Musk-Rats do a good deal 

 of harm by boring holes in embankments, especially in the south, 

 where the Alligator, one of their worst enemies, has been so much 

 killed down of late ; but they are in great demand for the fur trade, 

 their skin being much used, especially when dyed, for the article 

 called "electric seal." I need hardly remind my readers that such 

 a thing as an Electric Seal does not exist ; indeed, the only electric 

 creatures are not beasts at all, but a few species of fish, like the 

 Electric Eel of South America, and the Torpedo of the Mediterranean. 

 Musquashes are seldom seen in captivity, but the species was exhibited 

 at the London Zoological Gardens some years ago. 



THE LEMMING 



{Myodes lemmus) 



This quaint little creature, an inhabitant of the Scandinavian peninsula, 

 has attained a great reputation on account of the tragic migrations it 

 periodically performs. It is a very small animal, about twice the size 

 of a common Mouse, stout and chubby in shape, with small eyes, 

 ears, and tail, and thick fur — bright fawn above, with conspicuous 

 patches of black on the head and shoulders, and white below. Alto- 

 gether, it is not unlike a miniature Guinea-Pig. In the ordinary way, its 

 life is uneventful enough ; it is an Alpine animal, frequenting the high 

 " fells " of the central mountain range, and feeding on the scanty 

 vegetation of the heights. It is very hardy, not hibernating in winter, 

 nor laying up a store of food, but burrowing under snow and turf to 

 get at the means of subsistence. Lemmings are also about the most 

 courageous beasts in existence — being more inclined to fight than fly 

 when suddenly surprised, and sitting up on their haunches to defy 

 man or Dog. Breeding twice a year, and having from three to eight 

 in a litter, they multiply rapidly, and it is no doubt their great 



