70 FLESH-EATERS 



full-grown specimen measures from 33^ to 4 feet in length 

 (head and body) and has a tail 11 inches long. Its fur is 

 very dense and fine, and in color is a shimmering, lustrous 

 black. The pursuit of the Sea Otter usually is quite danger- 

 ous, but to the natives of the Alaskan Peninsula this creature 

 is far more important than the fur-seal. Formerly between 

 five thousand and six thousand skins, worth from $100 to 

 $500 each, were taken annually, and formed practically the 

 sole dependence of the natives along nearly two thousand 

 miles of coast-line. But with the introduction of firearms, and 

 the sealing schooners, the Sea Otter has been almost exter- 

 minated. The few individuals that remain are widely scat- 

 tered, and are the wildest and wariest of all wild creatures. 

 In 1912 only 202 skins appeared in the London fur market. 



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. 



Breeding. — It has been proven that the Mink can be 

 successfully bred and reared in captivity. When its fur 



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



