LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



bank being mostly accidental ; but in some in- 

 stances a door-way is dug out beneath the roots 

 of a tree, probably for convenience at times of 

 high water, though used more or less at all 

 seasons when the stream is free from ice. 



Their food varies little during the season, their 

 inain stand-by being aquatic plants and shell-fish ; 

 and these are equally accessible, winter or summer. 

 The roots of the common yellow water-lily are 

 several inches in diameter, and yards in length, 

 looking like great wrinkled green-and-white 

 reptiles sprawled along the bottom, which is 

 almost covered with them in places. Inside, they 

 are white and crisp, but have a watery, character- 

 less sort of flavour, which appears to suit the 

 muskrats well enough, however, as they constitute 

 a very considerable portion of their food. 



A muskrat will frequently dig up and tow 

 ashore a piece larger and heavier than himself, and 

 settle down for a good square meal ; and it is 

 astonishing to see what an insignificant remnant 



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