LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



eral smaller and equally crooked swampy brooks 

 joining it here and there, each with its own par- 

 ticular fog-bank at sunrise, — when through an 

 opening in the pines 1 caught sight of a black 

 duck, motionless on the water, staring, with out- 

 stretched neck, at a large muskrat swimming past 

 within a yard of him. The ripple caused by the 

 muskrat surrounded the duck and spread beyond 

 him ; but the bird's eyes were fixed on the little 

 furry head as it glided along ; and when at last 

 the muskrat touched the bottom and waded 

 ashore to crouch on the wet bank and nibble at 

 something it held between its paws, the duck, ap- 

 parently convinced for the first time that it was 

 only a musquash and not a mink at all, evinced 

 considerable relief and straightway fell to feeding. 

 At the next bend a muskrat was busily 

 occupied with his breakfast. He first came 

 ashore, towing a sweet flag which he had cut oflF 

 close to the root. It was very amusing to see 

 him eat it ; he began at the bottom, and, sitting 



i86 



