28 6 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



at some distance from the mink farm. The animal had entered 

 a chicken-house and had killed two chickens when it was dis- 

 covered by the woman who owned the fowls. She drove the 

 mink out of the chicken-house, but it ran in again, keeping just 

 out of her reach. She reported the occurrence to Mr. Lambert 

 because the mink appeared to be so tame and apparently feared 

 her so little. This animal later returned to the cage. Mr. Lam- 

 bert was not aware that there had been any successful efforts 

 to rear minks in captivity elsewhere in the state of Iowa at the 

 time of his first experiments. His purpose originally was to 

 demonstrate in the first place that it is possible to rear these 

 animals in captivity and in the second place the advance in the 

 price of furs would, he thought, warrant the raising of these 

 animals for their pelts, provided they could be wred success- 

 fully and their fur kept in as good condition as in the wild 

 state. He is satisfied as to both these points and believes that 

 there need only be a suitable market to make the business a 

 profitable one. 



Some years ago Mr. Lambert sold as beautiful pelts as he had 

 ever seen for seventy-five cents each. In 1911, No. 1 extra large 

 dark minks were bringing $9.00. The price in 1916 has ranged 

 between five and six dollars. 



Among the interesting facts which have been noted with re- 

 gard to these captive minks are the following : 



The usual breeding season in this locality is from the 10th or 

 12th of March to about the end of the first week in April. 



The period of gestation is six weeks and the litters range 

 from three to seven. The average litter is four or five, and but 

 one litter is raised in a year. The young are about an inch and 

 a half to two inches long at birth and it is a number of days be- 

 fore they open their eyes. 



Young male minks can usually be recognized by their size, 

 as they are slightly larger than the females. 



The cry of the little ones is a high pitched whine. In the wild 

 state, the mink is known to move its young from one locality to 

 another if it is in the least disturbed. This tendency is notice- 

 able in the animals in confinement, The only period when the 

 mink is not a solitary animal seems to be during the time when 

 the female is caring for the young. By the following spring the 



