Natural History of District of Columbia — McAtee 11 



"The head of the painted turtle manifested symptoms of 

 life two hours after decapitation. Three cherry stones were 

 found in the stomach. It is said that small snails are its 

 daily food. This species is not eaten. The musk-rat (Castor 

 zibethicus) inhabits the banks of this island. The surface 

 being now cleared, there is no place for its habitation, which 

 was formerly constructed of vegetable substances, in the 

 midst of the reeds of a marsh, and was generally five or six 

 feet in height, and as many in breadth. The family reposed 

 in a dry and neat apartment above the surface of the water, 

 into which they descended when attacked, and retreated by 

 a subterraneous passage to a neighbouring stream. If the 

 family were numerous, there were three such passages; if 

 otherwise, one or two only. A method of taking them, prac- 

 ticed by the savages, was to discover and intercept this com- 

 munication, by means of knots of twisted grass. The animal 

 then returned to the water under its abode, where forced to 

 seek air, it showed its head, and was struck dead with a 

 stick or club. The muskrat abounds in the swamp (p. 147) 

 adjoining the Potomac bridge, and is killed by the blacks in 

 a curious manner. A square board, bearing a considerable 

 weight of stones or mud, is placed in an inclined position, 

 and is supported by three sticks in a particular manner. 

 Parsnips are put underneath, of which the rats are very 

 fond; while devouring them, they necessarily move one of 

 these sticks, by which the board suddenly falls, and crushes 

 them to death. The skin sells at twenty-five cents. 



"The deer, wild turkey, canvas back duck (supposed to be 

 the Anas ferina of Linnaeus, or mildorin of Buffon), the 

 wiid goose, which inhabited this place about fifty years ago, 

 have all disappeared. This species of duck, so delicious to 

 the taste, was then sold for sixpence. 



"The following method was formerly employed to kill the 

 wild goose (Anser canadensis). This bird, shy and cunning, 

 feeds in the midst of a plain or open field, and forms a 

 regular line, at the extremity of which is placed a centinel, 

 to give warning in case of danger, which, if remote, is indi- 

 cated by a certain position of (p. 148) the head, and if 

 imminent, by a certain cry. The sportsman, by means of a 



