658 THE CARNIVORES 



account of this difference that the two are regarded as specifically distinct from one 

 another. 



Ivike the martens, the minks have a uniformly-long and somewhat bushy tail, 

 differing markedly from that of the weasels ; its whole length being approximately 

 equal to half that of the head and body. The ears are smaller than in any of the 

 allied forms, and scarcely appear above the general level of the fur. The pelage 

 consists of a dense, soft, and matted under-fur, mixed with long, stiff, and glossy 

 hairs ; the gloss being most marked in the fur of the upper parts, while the hairs of 

 the tail are more bristly than elsewhere. In color the mink, according to Dr. 

 Coues, varies from a light dull yellowish brown to a rich black chocolate brown ; 

 the ordinary tint being a rich dark brown, scarcely, if at all, paler below than above. 

 The tail is always decidedly blackish. Our illustration exhibits the white upper lip 

 usually distinctive of the European mink. In both the eastern and western forms 

 the chin is always white, although the extent of the white area is subject to indi- 

 vidual variation. In addition to the white on the chin, there may also be small 

 irregular patches of the same color on the under parts, while as a rare abnormality, 

 the tail may also be tipped with white. 



As a rule, the American mink is somewhat larger than the European ; and in 

 both the male is always larger than the female. The American form may vary in 

 length from the tip of the snout to the root of the tail from fifteen to eighteen 

 inches; while the length of the tail, inclusive of the hair, ranges from about eight 

 to nine inches. The European mink is an inhabitant of Eastern Europe, occurring 

 at the present day in Poland, Finland, and the greater part of Russia, although un- 

 known to the eastward of the Ural mountains. The American species ranges over 

 the greater part of North America, although not found in the extreme north of that 

 continent. 



In its general habits the mink, in both hemispheres, is thoroughly 

 amphibious, and is therefore only found in districts where water is 

 abundant. Indeed, these animals may in this respect be regarded as presenting 

 precisely the same relationship to the polecat as is held by the water vole to the 

 land vole. The mink, writes Dr. Hart Merriam, "not only swims and dives with 

 facility, but can remain long under water, and pursues and captures fish by follow- 

 ing them under logs or other places from where there is no free escape. It has thus 

 been known to catch as swift and agile a fish as the brook trout, and Audubon says 

 that he has seen a mink catch a trout of upward of a foot in length. It is remark- 

 ably strong for so small an animal, and a single one has been known to drag a mal- 

 lard duck more than a mile, in order to get to its hole, where its mate joined in the 

 feast." Generally, the food of the mink consists of various aquatic creatures, such 

 as frogs, crawfish, and mollusks ; but it will also eat various small aquatic Mam- 

 mals, such as voles, as well as mice and rats, while in America it is reported to prey 

 at times upon the comparatively -large musquash. Marsh-frequenting birds also fall 

 victims to the mink, and their eggs are probably also consumed. Other wild birds 

 are, however, comparatively safe from the attacks of this animal, as its climbing 

 powers are of the feeblest. Poultry are not unfrequently attacked ; but in these 

 and other attacks the mink does not exhibit that wholesale destructiveness charac- 



