22 



THE MUSKRAT. 



the same marshes where it has fed.« A number of persons have 

 likened its flavor to that of the famous terrapin of the Chesapeake. 



Sale in the Markets. 



The fact remains that muskrats are sold extensively in some of the 

 markets of the East and Middle West. In the retail markets of 

 Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wilmington, and other cities they are sold 

 as " marsh rabbits," but no attempt is made to conceal the fact that 

 they are muskrats. They are bought and eaten both by well-to-do 

 citizens and by the poorer people who seldom indulge in high-priced 

 game. The animals are trapped primarily for their pelts, but after 

 they are skinned, the additional labor of preparing the meat for 

 market is so slight that they can be sold very cheaply. 



In the Baltimore markets, February 21, 1908, I found muskrats for 

 sale at various stalls. The retail price was 10 cents each. At the 

 commission houses I learned that several firms receive them regularly 

 from the lower Chesapeake. The muskrat market opens about the 

 Christmas holidays and extends to the middle of March. The re- 

 ceipts for that season had been very light compared with those of 

 the previous year, and the demand had been much greater than the 

 supply. One commission man informed me that he had a standing 

 order for several barrels from one of the smaller towns, but that he 

 could not get enough to supply even the city demand. The whole- 

 sale price averaged about 7 cents. 



In March, 1909, replies to inquiries at the Baltimore markets showed 

 that during the season then closing a larger supply of muskrats had 

 been received than usual, but, owing to the mild winter, many had 

 arrived in unsalable condition and the wholesale price was lower than 

 for the preceding season. 



In February, 1907, the Philadelphia Record stated that a single 

 dealer on Dock street in that city sold about 3,000 muskrats a week 

 for food. The chief source of this supply was stated to be in the 

 vicinity of Salem, N. J. The Saginaw (Mich.) Courier- Herald 

 states that in the season of 1907-8 dressed muskrats at that place 

 retailed at from 15 to 20 cents each, and that dealers had ready sale 

 for all they could provide. 



Muskrat is said to be a favorite dish at dinners given by church 

 societies in Delaware and Maryland, and annual muskrat banquets 

 are a feature with certain gun clubs in the West. Those of the 

 Monroe (Mich.) Marsh Club have been celebrated for many years. 

 Nearly a dozen years ago, when the club desired the enactment of a 

 law to protect the muskrat on the marshes adjoining the Great Lakes, 

 they went to Lansing, taking with them their own chefs, and invited 



« Forest and Stream, L, 3G8, 1S9S. 



396 



