THE MUSKEAT. 



37 



New York. — The closed season for mnskrats is May 1 to October 15. They 

 shall not be possessed or killed dnring this time. 



North Carolina: Columbus County. — All fnr-bearing animals are protected 

 April 1 to January 1, except that two townships have closed season March 1 

 to December 1. 



Currituck Sound. — It is unlawful to shoot muskrats on marsh lands on the 

 east side of Currituck Sound after sundown or before sunrise between October 

 1 and March 31. 



South Dakota. — Muskrats are protected April 1 to November 15, except when 

 they destroy property. Town supervisors may employ others to kill or trap 

 muskrats to protect public highways. Trappers not residents of the State 

 must take out a license before trapping; fee $10. 



Virginia. — Shooting muskrats by night is unlawful in tidewater districts 

 of the State. 



Accomac County. — Muskrats are protected March 15 to January 1. 



Wisconsin. — Muskrats may not be taken by spear or gun. The closed season 

 extends from May 1 to November 1. Occui)ants or owners of lands on the 

 shores of certain rivers and lakes may take muskrats in any manner from 

 October 25 to May 1, but may not dispose of pelts before the general open 

 season. Owners of cranberry marshes are allowed to kill the animals at any 

 time when they are destroying dams. 



Previous to the passage of the present law, a prominent fur buyer 

 of Michigan estimated that the trappers of that State would be bene- 

 fited $100,000 a year by the passage of a law prohibiting the taking 

 of fur in September and October.^^ The muskrat pelt taken in Octo- 

 ber or November is worth scarcely half as much as if trapped in Feb- 

 ruary. Trappers are still careless of their own interests, and in their 

 eagerness to forestall competitors take the field far too early. Fur 

 dealers, on the other hand, have generally deprecated this policy, 

 and have endeavored to secure reform. A prominent firm, extensive 

 buyers of raw furs, in 1904 sent out a circular asking for cooperation 

 to secure laws protecting all fur-bearing animals from May 1 to 

 November 1. While the movement is in the right direction, it would 

 not, if carried out, prove adequate to correct all the evils of imsea- 

 sonable trapping. Muskrats within the United States should not be 

 trapped before December 15 ; and while the fur is still prime in the 

 latter part of March, the breeding season is then on, and continued 

 trapping would greatly limit the number of animals for the next 

 season. The open season for the muskrat should be limited to three 

 months, from December 15 to March 15, or in the more northern 

 States from December 1 to March 1. 



SUMMARY. 



Muskrats are of much economic value, and should be protected by 

 proper laAvs. Legal enactments should forbid their destruction 



o Fur Trade Review, p. 118, March 1, 1895. 



396 



