Fex., 1912. MamMats or ILtinois AND WISCONSIN— Cory. 363 
The Mink is a common species in many localities throughout 
Illinois and Wisconsin. It is a semi-aquatic animal, being rarely found 
far from water, and is an expert swimmer and diver. Its food consists 
largely of fish which it pursues and catches with almost the facility of 
the Otter; in fact Linnzus applied the name Lutreola (Little Otter) to 
the Old World form. For piscatorial destructiveness our species is at 
least, the peer of its European cousin, as is shown by the statement of 
Audubon and Bachman, who claim it has been known to catch a trout 
a foot long.* Notwithstanding its fondness for water, however, it is 
equally at home on land and, while a large portion of its food consists 
of aquatic animals, such as fish, frogs and crayfish, it preys upon many 
land animals as well, and it destroys quantities of Rabbits, Rats, Musk- 
rats, Mice, etc., as well as birds when it can catch them. Like the 
Weasel the Mink appears to have an especial antipathy to Rats. Dr. 
C. Hart Merriam says:} ‘‘When taken sufficiently young he is easily 
domesticated, and makes one of the best of ‘ratters.’ He follows these 
common pests into their holes, and destroys large numbers of them. 
The remainder are so terrified that they leave the premises in great 
haste and are not apt soon to return.”’ 
Writing of the habits of the Mink in Illinois, Kennicott says: ‘‘ Near 
the prairies of this State, the mink sometimes takes possession of the 
house of a musk-rat, after devouring or driving off the rightful inhab- 
itants. It appears to be quite as abundant and as much at home 
about prairie ponds and streams as in the woods. It digs burrows on 
the dry ground near the water, frequently in old ant-hills, some of which 
were penetrated to a depth of two or three feet, and a foot or two below 
the surface of the ground. At the extremity of the burrow is a chamber 
a foot in diameter, in which is found a globular nest of soft grass, lined 
with feathers, constructed with considerable art, and entered by an 
opening on one side. In the northern part of this State, where the 
climate is more severe, the burrows are deeper, being sometimes eight 
or ten feet in extent, with the nest two feet below the surface. On the 
prairie, minks are also found living in burrows, often six or eight rods 
in length, on high ground, from which long galleries extend to the edge 
of a slough or pond. These galleries, however, are not formed by the 
minks, but by musk-rats which dig them in order to place their nests 
beyond the reach of high water, and yet have subterranean communica- 
tion with the stream. Though they frequently take possession of the 
burrows of the musk-rat, and sometimes those of the badger and skunk, 
when situated in suitable localities, they also excavate them for them- 
* Quadrupeds of N. Amer., I, 1846, p. 255. 
tMamm. Adirondack Reg., 1886, p. 67. 
