210 THEOUGH THE MACKENZIE BASIN 



42,375 skins, respectively. There is reason to believe 

 that the sales of the three previous years were below 

 the average. Then came five " good " years in suc- 

 cession, 1855 with 50,839, 1856 with 61,581, 1857 

 with 61,951, 1858 with 76,231, and 1859 with 62,264 skins. 

 'Next we have four " lean " sales, 1860 with 44,730, 1861 

 with 31,094, 1862 with 49,452,- and 1863 with 43,961 skins. 

 These were followed by six "good" years — 1864 to 1869 — 

 with 61,727, 60,334, 51,404, 58,451, 73,576, and 74,343 

 skins, respectively. Once more we have four " lean " sales, 

 1870 with 27,708, 1871 with 31,985, 1872 with 3.9,266, and 

 1873 with 44,740 skins. The year 1858, already mentioned, 

 with 76,231, 1876 with 79,214 (maximum), and 1877 with 

 79,060 skins were the three largest years' sales for the period 

 under review. The total output of minks, exclusive of some 

 15,000 skins sold in Montreal and St. Paul, was 1,374,139. 

 The London sales of 1902 comprised 57,349, and those of 

 1903, 66,360 skins. 



This animal is to be found along the Anderson and other 

 Arctic rivers to the coast, and also throughout the Dominion 

 of Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The sexes come 

 together in March and April, and the female brings forth in 

 due time five or six blind and helpless little ones. I have 

 also been assured that where the food conditions are very 

 good, instances of as many as eight, ten, and even twelve have 

 been observed. In this connection I would remark that 

 Indians in different parts of this vast country have asserted 

 that when the several periodical fur-bearing animals are at 

 a minimum stage the births are few, but that these augment 

 annually in number dviring the seasons of increase. This 

 rather remarkable, but probable circumstance, applies par- 

 ticularly to musquash, martens, minks, ermines, foxes, and 

 skunks. A number of hunters have also said to me that they 

 have sometimes noticed this peculiarity in the case of beaver. 

 Albinos are rare, but the writer has seen a few in the course 

 of his forty years' service. 



