ITS HAUNTS AND HABITS. 211 



ducks or chickens. Now we see a fine ken. 

 descend to tke water; cautiously she steps on 

 the sandy margin and dipping her bill in the 

 clear stream, sips a few drops and raises her 

 head as if in gratitude to the Giver of all good ; 

 she continues sipping and advancing gradually ; 

 she has now approached the fatal rocks, when 

 with a sudden rush the mink has seized her; 

 ere he can regain his hole, however, our gun's 

 sharp crack is heard and the marauder lies dead 

 before us. 



We acknowledge that we have little inclina- 

 tion to say anything in defence of the mink. 

 "We must admit, however, that although he is a 

 cunning and destructive rogue, his next door 

 neighbour, the ermine or common weasel, goes 

 infinitely beyond him in his mischievous pro- 

 pensities. Whilst the mink is satisfied with 

 destroying one or two fowls at a time, on which 

 he makes a hearty meal ; the weasel, in the very 

 spirit of wantoa destructiveness, sometimes in a 

 single night puts to death -every tenant of the 

 poultry-house ! 



Whilst residing at Henderson, on the banks 

 of the Ohio river, we observed that minks were 

 quite abundant, and often saw them carrying 

 off rats which they caught like the weasel or 

 ferret, and conveyed away in their mouths, hold- 

 ing them by the neck in the manner of a cat. 



