THE WEASEL FAMILY MARTEN GROUP. 181 



MINK. 



The true Mink (Mustela-vison) is confined to North 

 America, but the Mustela-lutreola, called Nerz or Sump- 

 otter by the Germans, has rightly been classed as the 

 European Mink, in spite of essential differences in struc- 

 ture, and quality. A white upper lip always characterizes 

 the European varieties. Minks of inferior quality that 

 are classed as local varieties of the Russian Mink, are 

 also found in Japan, and China where they are generally 

 called Chinese Weasels. 



The Mink is distinguished from the other members of 

 its genus by a narrower muzzle, longer premolar teeth, 

 and a partial webbing of the toes. Like all members of 

 the Marten group the Mink has a bushy tail, about half 

 the length of its body which measures from fifteen 

 to eighteen inches. The pelage consists of a soft, dense 

 under-fur mixed with long, stiff, glossy hairs, the latter 

 being most in evidence on the upper part of the body. 

 The color varies from a light, yellowish brown in the 

 poorer representatives of the species, to a rich chocolate 

 in the finer grades. The chin is always white, and small 

 irregular patches of white are often found on the under 

 part of the body. The Mink ranges over the greater part 

 of North America; the choicest specimens coming from 

 Maine and Nova Scotia; next in value are those from 

 Canada, New York and New England ; the poorest Ameri- 

 can qualities come from the southern section of the 

 United States, and the intermediate grades from the cen- 

 tral, western and northwestern states. 



The Mink is an amphibious solitary animal, semi- 

 aquatic in habit, living in holes in the banks of streams 

 and lakes. The young, four or five to a litter, are born 

 early in the spring, and remain with the mother until the 

 autumn. The Mink is a good diver and swimmer, and 

 can remain under the water a long time; it has been 

 known to pursue and catch as agile a fish as the brook 

 trout ; and as an evidence of its remarkable strength, it is 

 said that a Mink has been seen to drag a mallard duck 

 a mile to its hole so that its mate could join in the feast 

 provided by so much effort. This animal has a keen 

 sense of smell and wonderful tenacity of life, a case being 



