A Sportsman 433 



through them as large as pipe stems. It may be a 

 question if this bird, of which hundreds frequent the 

 shores of the lakes from the early spring to the ice, do 

 not in the aggregate kill more trout, principally small 

 ones up to i lb., than all the fishermen. Aided by the 

 loons, kingfishers, and mink, they undoubtedly do. 

 The mink is a voracious feeder, and will destroy large 

 numbers with the greatest ease from congregating 

 pools and the breeding streams which feed the lakes. 



A mink will kill a dozen trout in a day when they 

 are easily accessible, eating only the heads and leaving 

 the bodies to decay. If one can get into a fisherman's 

 car it wiU strip it clean of trout in a single night, even 

 if there are several dozen, and carry every one off. 



I had a car, which was accidentally left open, 

 stripped one night of a dozen trout weighing from i to 

 2 lbs. It was a ver>- large car, having but a small opening 

 in the top, of about 8 in. square, and was but half sub- 

 merged, leaving fuUy i ft. of raise from the water to the 

 exit aperture. I could hardly see how so small an 

 animal as a mink could haul out trout weighing more 

 than itself ; but a few days after, when I had replenished 

 the car with ten or twelve more trout, one or two of 

 which pulled above 2 lbs. and one nearly 3 lbs., I saw 

 how it was done. I was sitting upon the shore when 

 I observed a commotion in the car scarcely 40 ft. from 

 me. It was covered, but the trout were splashing about 

 at a great rate; and presently I saw a mink appear 

 on one side of the box, swimming about and beneath 

 it, endeavoring to find entrance. I watched him 

 for some minutes with great interest and amazement. 

 He woidd swim around the box several times, then be- 

 neath, then crawl up the sides and inspect the top, then 



