ITS HAUNTS AND HABITS. 211 
ducks or chickens. Now we see a fine hen 
descend to the 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 wanton 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. 
