Mink 895 



found the same Mink caught in it by the hind-leg. He had 

 gnawed off the leg, but beyond the trap, and was still held by 

 the stump. He was dead, and buried too, for he had raked 

 together all the leaves, grass, earth, and sticks within the length 

 of the chain. Trap and all were hidden; only his head and 

 his remaining front arm were out of his self-made funeral 

 mound. 



The old-fashioned deadfall is the trap that should be used, 

 as it does not injure the fur and it kills the animal instantly, 

 so that there is no unnecessary suffering. The box-trap is 

 effectual and humane if visited regularly. It should have, at 

 the back, a window covered with |-inch mesh wire netting. 

 It has the advantage of protecting its catch from passing 

 marauders. The steel trap, if used, should be visited often. 

 The less the creatures suffer the better the fur. In the un- 

 happy case cited above the pelt was worthless. 



The fur of the Mink is a staple of the trade; it is a close, fur 

 strong, beautiful fur, of great durability. Its market value 

 varies much with the caprices of fashion, but it has always 

 fetched a price that makes it worth catching. The high- 

 water mark for Mink was about twenty-five years ago, when 

 prime dark skins brought from $4 to ^^lo. Dr. Merriam 

 records" having then sold one of unusual size for $14. 



Mink to-day is not high but rising. At the London annual 

 fur sales, held at Lampson's, in March, igo6, 126,161 Mink 

 skins were sold. The highest price paid was 40 shillings 

 ($9.60) each, for 102 extra large prime dark skins; 20 shillings to 

 30 shillings (^4.80 to $7.20) was a more usual price for first- 

 class skins; while third- and fourth-class skins went as low as 3 

 shillings (72 cents). But this is a fur of standard attractions, 

 and other furs are getting scarcer; therefore we can count on 

 a steady rise in Mink. 



This is a cased pelt. It is prime from the first of Novem- 

 ber to the first of April. It is unlawful to trap or destroy it in 

 Manitoba at any other time. 



» Ibid., p. 66. 



