184 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



only taking a suck of blood here and a l)ite of flesh 

 there. 



" The Weasel twists and winds its supple body into 

 holes where nothing but a snake could follow, now 

 writhing along as if it liad no legs, then stretching its 

 neck and peering round with the wagging head and 

 wicked eyes of a Cobra. He devours mice, and sharp- 

 toothed rats tremble before liim. If he could learn to 

 forsake bird-nesting and chicken-killing and wreak his 

 love of slaughter on the ' nuisance animals,' he might 

 easily cease being the Avorst of nuisances himself.'' 



"Tins Mink looks a good deal like the Weasel," said 

 Rap, " except that it is longer and not half so snaky. 

 It is a nice brown, too, like mother's muff that father 

 brought lier frcmi New York long ago when I Avas a 

 Ijab}', and that she keeps done up in liis silk handker- 

 chief in a bandbox." 



" It doesn't smell very nicely," said Nat, "• though not 

 so badly as the Skuidv. Is it a tierce, wicked beast, 

 too?" 



" For stead3'-goin' mischief the ]\Iink is only about 

 two steps behind the Weasel," broke in Nez. " The 

 Weasel is freaky ; he'll do a lot of mischief in one 

 place, and then take himself off for a long spell ; but 

 the ^Nlink noses out a line hen roost and. then settles 

 down under a shed near by to enjoy himself." 



"If it's in May," added the Doctor, "half a dozen 

 little Minks, hairless and blind at first, may be hidden 

 in the feather-lined nest, and many a choice morsel will 

 be brought tliem before they are fully grown in au- 

 tumn, and leave their mother to start life for them- 

 selves. Day and night Minks go hunting and fishing 



