LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



These markings, together with the great range 

 of size and colour of adult specimens, for a long 

 time led trappers and naturalists alike to the 

 opinion that there were two distinct species, — a 

 belief firmly held by many, and not absolutely 

 denied by naturalists until comparatively recent 

 times. 



They distinguished them as the black or moun- 

 tain-brook mink, and the common mink or 

 marten, which they claimed was much larger and 

 heavier, with lighter coloured fiir and white throat. 



Only about fifteen years ago I remember few 

 appeared to doubt the existence of the two species, 

 though how they went to work to classify them 

 as they did is hard to imagine ; for judging from 

 scores of skins that I have examined at one 

 time and another, I should say that the smaller 

 specimens are just about as likely to be light 

 coloured with white throats as the largest, and that 

 the white markings are as often found on dark 

 coloured minks as on light ones. 



T24 



