was some crowding and nipping at first but soon all were 
sound asleep. I moved a little and made a slight noise 
when all sprang up and scattered in great alarm, but after 
getting a gpod look at me became quickly reassured and pre¬ 
pared for another nap to which I left them. These four 
(or five) Musk-rats were all of about the same size and 
perhaps two-thirds grown. At this age they are evidently 
social, gentle, playful, confiding, but I fear also somewhat 
stupid and phlegmatic as compared with the young of most of 
our wild mammals. It is worthy of remark that they have 
made the usual hassocks whereon they are in the habit of 
sitting and that in no instance have I seen one remain for 
more than a few moments on the bare floor. The hassocks 
are composed of small quantities of aquatic plants, chiefly 
bladderwort, carelessly arranged in a circle. They are 
invariably kept sopping wet. The question arises at once: 
"Do they serve the purpose of cushions or that of sponges — 
to keep the occupant of the seat agreeably moist and cool?" 
Yesterday when I crawled into the house, I dis¬ 
tinctly saw the large mother Musk-rat on her new nest 
under the bow of my canoe and later I heard at least one of 
the young, still naked, blind, and apparently no larger than 
when I saw it first, lay dead on the floor outside the rim. 
The mother was not in or under the house while I was there 
The half-grown young make frequent excursions 
from the house at all hours of the day, sometimes going to 
