1892
July 7
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord.- Clear with floating cloud masses and light E. to S.
wind. Much such a day as yesterday but warmer.
  Spent the entire forenoon at the Buttricks' landing watching
the brood of young Flickers and the Muskrats. There
were four of the latter in my boat house under my canoe
and a fifth beneath the boat-house in the water. I
drew out the canoe without disturbing them and then
crawled in. When I was within about four feet of them
three scuttled across the house and plunged down through
a crack between the boards into the water. The fourth
remained perfectly still and presently began to scratch his
head with his hind paw. I cautiously thrust out a long straw
and assisted. He started and showed his teeth for a moment
turning on the straw as if to bite it but soon quieted down
again when, dropping the straw, I substituted my forefinger
and, of course, now worked to much better advantage . at first
giving the back of the head a thorough scratching, next
taking the sides of the neck and finally stroking the
back down to the tail. It was difficult to realise that
I was actually handling a wild and perfectly free
Muskrat for after the first slight show of resentment
no kitten could have been gentler and more
confiding. In a little while the eyes began to close
and the animal gradually sank down on one side and
was soon apparently fast asleep.
[margin]Begin[This is in pencil in the left margin, with a bracket-like mark next to it at the start of the paragraph.][/margin]
[margin]Muskrats
in my boat-house[/margin]
[margin]I scratch the
head of one[/margin]
  Meanwhile the other three Muskrats had returned and
were sitting in a group on the floor some four or
five feet away. so I turned my attention to them. They
evidently regarded me with some distrust for whenever
I advanced my hand [delete]towards them[/delete] they would scuttle
to the nearest crack and prepare to take to the