MUSKRATS 
229 
of dead rushes, they seem at first to emphasise the 
generally cold, deserted aspect* But look on the 
sunny side of a house, and the white frost will show 
the thin spot where the warmth of the little colony 
has thawed the wall* That is the breathing-place, and 
the air filtering through leaves soft hoar-frost on the 
outside* With moccasins it is possible to approach 
without disturbing the inmates and to hear them 
moving inside. The sound of life in such a desolate 
place is ample reward for an hour's patience. The 
least noise, an incautious step, or even the cracking 
of the ice will send them scurrying down into their 
burrows in the frozen mud or through the water 
under the ice to safer quarters* The interior of the 
house is a low, ice-lined dome, with a floor of open 
water leading down into ramified burrows* In a house 
recently visited near the city the water was crowded 
with living mud-minnows, and the stains on the icy 
walls gave suspicious proof that the occupants had 
indulged in a fish diet. The Muskrat has an accommo- 
dating nature and may degenerate into the common 
life of a Sewer-rat. But so long as he adheres to the 
trying ideal of living his own life and minding his own 
business he should have at least an absolute immunity 
from eviction while the ice is on the marsh. 
