90 
Quadrupeds. 
work down, and lay it again more evenly. It was astoN 
nishing how well he managed to arrange the incom 
gruous materials he had chosen, and how cleverly he 
contrived ^o remove them, sometimes carrying them 
between his right lore-paw and his chin, sometimes 
dragging them with his teeth, and sometimes pushing 
them along with his chin. When he had built his walls, 
he made himself a nest in the centre, and sat up in it, 
combing his hair with the nails of his hind feet. 
THE MUSK EAT, (Fiber Zlbethicus,) 
Is a native of Canada, and resembles the beaver in many 
of his habits. He has a fine musky scent, and makes 
his holes in marshes and by the waterside, with two or 
three ways to get in or go out, and several distinct 
apartments : he is said to contrive one entrance to his 
hole always below the water, that he may not be frozen 
out by the ice. This animal is called the Musquash in 
America, and its fur is used, like that of the beaver, in 
the manufacture of hats, four or five hundred thousand 
skins being said to be sent to Europe every year for 
that purpose. Musk Bats are always seen in pairs ; and 
though watchful, are not timid, as they will often 
approach quite close to a boat or other vessel. In 
spring they feed on pieces of wood, which they peel 
carefully ; and they are particularly fond of the roots of 
the sweet flag (Acoras Calamus). In Canada this animal 
is called the Ondatra. 
