The fur of the muskrat is dense and soft, hut inferior to that of the beaver. It was for merly little esteemed, but during the last cen tury has come more and more into use, begin ning with a demand early in the 19th century for making "beaver" hats. When this industry was ended by the introduction of silk hats the demand diminished, but revived again, until, about 1870, London was receiving about 4,000, 000 skins annually besides some 500,000 con sumed in America and 1,500,000 sent to Ger many, principally Leipzig. The price then be gan to fall, but the product amounted in 1906 to about 5,170,000 pelts. The best "no. 1 black' skins averaged in London, in 1910, about 42 cents.
'Muskrat fur," according to a recent author ity, "is used more extensively in Europe than in America, the Russians and Germans being especially large consumers. It is employed in making gloves, collars, caps, capes, muffs, trim mings, linings, etc., and is made up either nat ural, plucked, plucked and pointed or plucked and dyed black or various shades of brown. Large quantities are used as linings for over coats and long wraps, from 40 to 60 being necessary for each garment. Sometimes the under parts are used separately for this pur pose, the natural white color being quite effec tive. The skins of young animals are especially suited for linings. The unplucked skins are
frequently dyed to imitate mink, and sold as 'Alaska mink,' 'water mink' or 'black )) Muskrats are taken by shooting, spearing in winter (through their houses, or through the ice), or, most numerously, by trapping. Ordi nary steel traps are used, placed under the water inside a broken house, or in a runway or landing place, baited with an apple, or bit of parsnip, and often scented with musk or an aromatic oil, and fastened by a heavy chain so arranged, if possible, as to lead the animal to drown itself in its struggles. In certain dis tricts, as along Chesapeake Bay, men make a regular business of trapping muskrats in win ter; and even own, or rent, large spaces of marshland for that purpose. See UtriuDds.
The books of Audubon, Godman, Hearne, Richardson, Merriam and all general writers on American mammals should be consulted; also Herrick, 'Mammals of Minnesota' (Minne apolis 1892) ; Stone and Cram's 'American Animals' (New York 1902) ; Hollister, N., 'Systematic Synopsis of the Muskrats' (United States Biological Survey, North American Fauna, No. 32, Washington 1911) ; Lartz, 'The Muskrat' (United States Depart ment of Agriculture Farmers' Bulletin No. 396, Washington 1910); and the files of the American Naturalist and of Forest and Stream.