Mink 87!) 



log jam just as he had done, to travel down the bank; as they 

 came near he stood still to watch them. One ran by him and 

 over his foot; the other, a large one that he took to be the male, 

 ran past, some ten feet aside. Beyond him they resumed their 

 journey and took to the water again about forty yards below. 



Finally, we are told that in the Cancandea, N. Y., Minkery :' 

 "About the middle of March the females are separated from 

 the males until the young are reared. The necessity for 

 this arises from the fact that the males seem inclined to brood 

 the young almost as much as the dam, when both are permitted 

 to remain together." This is strong evidence that in a state 

 of nature the male Mink is a model father, which necessitates 

 that he be also a faithful mate. 



In Manitoba, pairing takes place in March and may 

 extend even into mid-April. 



There is hardly any low situation near the water where a 

 Mink will not make its den. Long burrows in banks, holes 

 under logs, stumps or roots, and hollow trees are favourite 

 places, but crevices of rocks, drains, and nooks under stone 

 piles and bridges are frequently selected. 



If the burrow is one dug by the animal itself, it is about 

 4 inches in diameter and, if in ordinarily easy digging, it may 

 continue along for lo or 12 feet at a depth of 2 or 3 feet. 



On the prairie Kennicott found the Minks "living in bur- 

 rows, often 6 or 8 rods in length, on high ground, from which 

 long galleries extend to the edge of a slough or pond. These 

 galleries, however, are not formed by the Minks, but by Musk- 

 rats, which dig them in order to place their nests beyond the 

 reach of high water and yet have subterranean communication 

 with the stream."* Similarly, he credits it with occupying the 

 burrows of the Badger and Skunk when in a suitable locality, 

 and finally with frequently digging dens in old ant-hills, pre- 

 sumably because these are dry elevations near the water. 



At the end of the long, crooked, 4-inch tunnel is the nest, nest 

 or nursery den, of the family. This is usually described as a 



' CouL-s, Furbearing Anim., 1877, p. 184. * Quad. 111., 1858, p. 102. 



