158 BOARD or AGRICULTURE. 



barrelled gun, to have ended at once the life of the voracious destroyer 

 of his carefully tended poultry. Our friend, the farmer, is not, however, 

 disposed to allow the mink to carry on the sport long, and therefore 

 straightway repairs to the house for his gun, and if it be loaded and 

 ready for use, (as it always should be in every well-regulated farm-house,) 

 he speedily returns with it to watch for the re-appearance of the mink, 

 and shoot him ere he has the opportunity to depopulate his poultry-yard. 

 The farmer now takes a stand, fticing the retreat into which the mink 

 has carried his property, and waits patiently until it may please him to 

 show his head again. This, however, the cunning rogue will not always 

 accommodate him by doing, and he may lose much time to no purpose. 

 Let us introduce you to a scene on our own little place, near New York- 

 " There is a small brook, fed by several springs of pure water, which 

 we have caused to be stopped by a stone dam, to make a pond for ducks 

 in the summer, and ice in the winter; above the pond is a rough bank 

 of stones through which the water filters into the pond. There is a 

 little space near this where the sand and gravel have formed a diminu- 

 tive beach. The ducks descending to the water are compelled to pass 

 near this stony bank. Here a mink had fixed his quarters, with 

 certainly a degree of judgment and audacity worthy of high praise, for 

 no settlement could be more to his mind. At early dawn the crowing 

 of several fine cocks, the cackling of many hens and chickens, and 

 the paddling, splashing, and quacking of a hundred old and young 

 ducks, would please his ears ; and by stealing to the edge of the bank 

 of stones, with his body nearly concealed between two large pieces of 

 broken granite, he could look around and see the unsuspecting ducks 

 within a yard or two of his lurking place. When thus on the look out, 

 dodging his head backward and forward, he waits until one of them has 

 approached close to him, and then with a rush, seizes the bird by the 

 neck, and in a moment disappears with it between the rocks. He has 

 not, however, escaped unobserved, and like other rogues, deserves to be 

 punished for having taken what did not belong to him. We draw near the 

 spot, gun in hand, and after Avaiting some time in vain for the appear- 

 ance of the mink, we cause some young ducks to be gently driven down 

 to the pond — diving for worms or food of various kinds, while danger so 

 imminent is near them — intent only on the objects they are pursuing, 

 they turn not a glance toward the dai'k crevice where we can now see 

 the bright eyes of the mink as he lies concealed. The unsuspecting 

 birds remind us of some of the young folks in that large pond we call 

 the world, where, alas! they may be in greater danger than our poor 

 ducks or chickens. Now we see a fine hen descend to the water ; 

 cautiously she steps on to the sandy margin, and dipping her bill in the 

 clear stream, sips a few drops and raises her head as if in gratitude to 



