10 



FARMERS' BULLETIN 869. 



L904, near Thomaston, Conn., muskrats burrowed through a dam, 

 wrecking it and releasing the water, which injured property in the 

 town to the extent of several thousand dollars. 



In April, 1904, the waters of Saline River in southern Illinois 

 invaded the Equality mine and threatened the lives of about a hun- 

 dred miners. Investigations showed that the waters of the swollen 

 river had reached the mine by way of muskrat burrows. 



Instances of the destruction of railway embankments due to musk- 

 rats and water are not rare. Injury to live stock through stepping 

 into burrows of muskrats is not infrequent, and in one instance a 

 costly driving track which had been constructed near a marsh w T as« 

 abandoned because of continued burrowing beneath it by these ani- 

 mals. A shell road in Dorchester County, Md., built across an ex- 

 tensive marsh, the superstructure resting on timbers lying on the 

 ground, was so undermined by muskrats that it often became unsafe 

 and was a constant source of expense to the county. 



INJURY TO FISH. 



Muskrats sometimes eat fish, but they capture sluggish kinds 

 mainly and seldom harm game fish. A few years ago, when carp 

 were introduced into many parts of this country, it was found that 

 muskrats sometimes invaded ponds and destroyed the carp. This 

 would not now be regarded as a serious loss. 



Muskrats cause some loss to the fish culturist by injuring his ponds 

 and possibly by destroying the food of fishes. 



THE MUSKRAT AS FOOD. 



The flesh of the muskrat for human food is variously esteemed, 

 considerable diversity of opinion being expressed as to its palatabil- 

 ity. One writer declares emphatically that its musky flavor would 

 keep any but the starving from eating it. Another declares that the 

 muskrat is game worthy of an epicure, with a flavor somewhat like 

 the wild duck that has been shot in the same marshes where it has 

 fed. A number of persons have likened its flavor to that of the 

 famous terrapin of the Chesapeake. 



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. 



