MUS'QUASH, MUSK-RAT, or OxnATEA, Fiber zibethicus, a rodent quadruped, a native of North America, It is the only known species of the genus to which it belongs which is characterized by dentition similar to that of the voles; in some other characters more nearly agreeing with the beaver. The musquash is in shape nearly similar to the brown rat; the head and body are about 15 in. in length, the tail 10 inches. The whole body is covered with a short downy dark-brown fur, intermixed with longer and coarser hairs. It is common in almost all parts of North America, from lat. 30° to lat. 69°, except in the southern alluvial districts. It is a very aquatic animal, seldom wandering from the rivers, lakes, or marshes in which it makes its abode. The fur is in demand, and forms an article of commerce—skins in large number being still exported from America to Britain and other European countries. The musquash burrows in the banks of streams and ponds; the entrances of its burrows being always under, water, so that it must dive to reach them. In marshes the musquash builds a kind of hut, collecting coarse grasses and mud, and raising the fabric from 2 to 4 ft. above the water. The flesh of the mus quash, at those seasons when it is fat, is in some request amoug the American Indians, and is said to be not unpalatable.
MUSSEL, a genus of lam3ilibranehiate mollusks, the type of the family myti lithe, which, however, is much more restricted than the Linmean genus mytilus. The trotilidce belong to the division of lanzelWranchiata, called by Lamarck dimyaria, having two adductor muscles—muscles employed in closing the valves of the shell. The mantle has a distinct anal orifice; the foot is small; and there is a large byssus (q.v.), which is divided into fibers to its base. The valves of the shell are equal; the hinge is destitute of teeth. Some, but few, of the species are found in fresh water. See DREISSENA.
Some UithedOmUs) burrow in stone. How they do it is utterly unknown, but they do burrow even in the hardest stone; and some small tropical species excavate for themselves holes in the shells of great limpets. The Rhoda/2i are sometimes called date-skells. Some of them are very beautiful, which is the case also with the true mussels, after the epidermis is removed. Even the COMMON MUSSEL adulis) then exhibits beautiful veins of blue. This species is very abundant on the British coasts, and is much used as bait by fishermen. It is gregarious, and is found in vast beds, closely crowded, adhering by the byssus to rocks, etc. These beds are usually uncovered at low water. The shell is oblong; at its greatest size about 3 in. long, and an inch and a half broad. Mussels, when young, move about by means of the foot, with which they lay hold of objects and drag themselves along, until they find some suitable spot to anchor themselves by a by sus. If detached, they soon find another anchorage. In an aquarium they readily attach their byssus-th•eads even to the smooth glass, and the threads may be broken more easily than separated from the glass. An ingenious and important application of the strength of these threads has been made by the French, to render Cherbourg break water mere secure by binding the loose stones together, for which purpose it was planted with tons of mussels. The common mussel is much used as an article of food, and is ganarally found quite wholesome; yet it sometimes proves poisonous, particularly in spring and summer, either causing blotches, swellings, and an eruption, accompanied with asthma, or a kind of paralysis, and even sometimes producing delirium and death. For the FRESH-WATER. MUSSEL, see that article.