MINK, FERRET, AND WEASEL 



29 



of coast line. But with the introduction of fire- 

 arms, and the sealing schooners, the Sea Otter 

 has been almost exterminated. The few indi- 

 viduals that remain are widely scattered, and 

 are the wildest and wariest of all wild creatures. 



The Mink : is much smaller than the otter, 

 yellowish brown or dark brown in color, and 

 while it prefers to live along the banks of 

 streams, it is not an aquatic animal like the 

 otter. When possible, it feeds chiefly upon 

 birds, because they are easily caught and killed, 

 and when opportunity offers, it is a wanton 

 murderer. It also preys upon small mammals 

 and fish, whenever it can procure them. In the 

 Beaver Pond of the New York Zoological Park 

 a murderous Mink once killed six wild geese in 

 one night, and another slaughtered ten herring 

 gulls. 



A full-grown Mink looks very much like a 

 large weasel, having a long, slender body and 

 very short legs. 



The Mink is by no means as rare as the otter, 

 and even to-day is found scattered throughout 

 nearly the whole of North America, as far as 

 the limit of trees. The round, hairy tail, choco- 

 late-brown or yellowish-brown color and smaller 

 size of this animal quickly distinguish it from all 

 other animals of its Family. The body of a full- 

 grown specimen is about as thick as the wrist 

 of a medium-sized man. The length of the head 

 and body is 19 inches, tail 7 inches. 



The Black-Footed Ferret, 2 of Kansas, Colo- 

 rado, Wyoming and Montana, is to many per- 

 sons who live in its home country, an enigma. 

 In 1849 this pretty creature was described and 

 illustrated by Audubon and Bachman, after 

 which it totally disappeared, and remained a 

 mystery until it was re-discovered in 18S6. In its 

 home it is often called the Prairie-" Dog " 

 Hunter, because its specialty is the killing of 

 prairie-" dogs;" and it is nearly always found in 

 the towns of that jolly little animal. It can be 

 recognized at a glance by its black feet, brown 

 legs and black tail-tip, and the cream-yellow color 

 of its head and body. Next to the skin, the fur is 

 white, and there is a broad black or dark-brown 

 patch across the nose, including both eyes. Its 

 length of head and body is 19 inches, tail 4 inches. 

 Regarding its habits and life history, much re- 



1 Lu-tre-o'la vi'son, and related species. 



2 Pu-to'ri-us nig'ri-pc.i. 



mains to be ascertained by the young natural- 

 ists who live in the country it inhabits. 



The Weasel, of which many species and races 

 have been described, is the smallest animal in 

 the marten family. 1 Its legs are very short 

 and far apart, and its body is no thicker than a 



BLACK-FOOTED FERRET. 



man s thumb, but it is of such great length that 

 the animal is positively snake-like in its propor- 

 tions. In life it is very odd to see the front legs 

 walk to and fro quite independently of the hind 

 quarters. Fifteen full species have been de- 

 scribed, several of them being very much alike. 

 The Common Weasel, or Ermine 2 is brown 

 in summer, and white in winter. 



The Weasel is one of the most courageous 

 and aggressive of all animals. It kills rabbits, 

 grouse, chickens and ducks of ten or twelve 

 times its own size, and often kills ten times as 

 many chickens as it can eat, purely to gratify 

 its murderous disposition. It is as savage as a 

 tiger, but on farms it often does good service in 

 destroying rats and field-mice. Weasels are 

 so small their fur has little value, but the time 

 is coming when it will eagerly be sought and 

 used. 



'The Least Weasel (Putorius rixosus), .which is 

 found from the Saskatchewan to Alaska, is said to 

 be the smallest carnivore in the world. 



2 Pu-to'ri-us er-min'e-a. 



