The Muskrat and His Family 
The muskrats lived in a 
dome-shaped house made 
of mud and reeds, built in 
the center of a pond. The 
doorway of the house was 
under the water. 
They were always in dan¬ 
ger of being caught by a 
hungry mink. Or an owl 
might swoop down in the 
night and carry away one 
of the baby muskrats. 
Their skins were valuable; 
so the farmer boys tried 
to catch them by placing 
traps in the water, with a 
juicy apple hung on a stick 
to tempt them. 
