MINK. 259 



it continued during the remainder of the daj-. It waged war against the 

 Norway rats which had their domicile in the dam that formed the fish- 

 pond, and it caught the frogs which had taken possession of its banks. 

 We did not perceive that it captured many fish, and it never attacked 

 the poultry. It was on good terms with the dogs and cats, and molested 

 no one unless its tail or foot was accidentally trod upon, when it invaria- 

 bly revenged itself by snapping at the foot of the offender. 



It was rather dull at mid-da}', but very active and playful in the morn- 

 ing and evening and at night. It never emitted its disagreeable odour 

 except when it had received a sudden and severe hurt. It was fond of 

 squatting in the chimney-corner, and formed a particular attachment to 

 an arm-chair in our stud}'. 



The skins of the Mink were formerly an article of commerce, and were 

 used for making muffs, tippets, &c. ; they sold for about fifty cents each. 

 Richardson states that they at present are only taken by the traders of 

 the fur company to accommodate the Indians, and that they are afterwards 

 burnt, as they will not repay the expense of carriage. The fur, however, 

 although short, is even finer than that of the marten. 



A short time since, we were kindly presented by Ch.\eles P. Chouteau, 

 Esq., with a Mink skin of a beautiful silver-gray colour, the fur of which 

 is quite different from the ordinary coat of the animal. These beautiful 

 skins are exceedingly rare, and six of them, when they are united, will 

 make a muff, worth at least a hundred dollars. A skin, slightly approach- 

 ing the fine quality and colour of the one just mentioned, exists in the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia, but it is brownish, and the 

 fur is not very good. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The Mink is a constant resident of nearly every part of the continent 

 of North America. Richardson saw it as far north as latitude 66°, on the 

 banks of the Mackenzie river, and supposed that it ranged to the mouth 

 of that river in latitude 69° ; it exists in Canada, and we have seen it in 

 every State of the Union. We observed it on the Upper Missouri and on 

 the Yellow Stone river ; it is said to exist also to the West of the Rocky 

 Mountains and along the shores of the Pacific ocean. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



This species appears, as far as we have been able to ascertain, to have 

 been first noticed by Governor Smith of Virginia, in 1624, and subsequently 

 by Sagakd Theodat and La Hontan. The latter calls it an amphibious 



