464 



reptiles ;iie iucluded iu the dietary ol the Miuk; aud it 

 18 also learned from the testimony of ditferent writers 

 and observers that the eggs of domestic fowls are often 

 taken by these nocturnal plunderers. 



KIL-L PHEASANTS, QUAIL AND RABBITS. 



Sportsmen despise and condemn Minks because of 

 the taste these brown-coated marauders have acquired 

 for Pheasants, Quail, Kabbits and Squirrels. Rails 

 and other marsh-inhabiting birds frequenting a locality 

 whei'e Minks resort, are often preyed upon by these 

 blood-thirsty and keen-scented quadrupeds. 



Injurious rodents, such as Mice, Rats and Muskrats, 

 so tro'iblesome on tlio farm, which Jlinks eat, do not, 

 we are assured by eminent naturalists who have given 

 much attention to the economic status of Minks, com 

 pensate the loss occasioned by their attack on barn 

 yard fowls, fish and game. 



The aquatic nature of the Mink is such that it is 

 usually found inhabiting the borders of streams, mill 

 ponds or dams. WTien Minks take up a residence in 

 or near the farmer's poultry house, as is frequently the 

 case, they have been known (o destroy every fowl in the 

 place in a short time. 



It is claimed by some that the Miuk feeds upon in 

 sects; this may be true, but as I have only examined 

 the stomach contents of four of these animals captured 

 at a period of the year when insect life was abundant, 

 and neither of them showed, on dissection. any evidence 

 of such food, I am not, of course, prepared to confirm 

 or deny the statement. 



A MUSCULAR ANIMAL, 



The average weight of an adult Mink is about two 

 pounds, and for an animal so small it is astonishing to 



