THE MINK AND THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET 71 



doubles in value, it will be profitable. Mr. J. Walter Jones 

 says that "there have been hundreds of mink ranches in 

 America, and there are probably fifty in Canada now." But 

 this industry is conceded to be "still in the experimental 

 stage." In the London fur market the value of Mink pelts 

 has risen from 65 cents in 1888 to $6.34 in 1910. 



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 annual 

 catch of skins is about sixty thousand. The round, hairy 

 tail, chocolate-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. In 

 durability the fur of the Mink is 70 per cent. 



The Black-Footed Ferret,^ of Kansas, Colorado, Wy- 

 oming, and Montana, is, to many persons 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 rediscovered in 1886. In its home it is often called 

 the Prairie-" Dog " Hunter, because its specialty is the kill- 

 ing 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 



> Pu-to'ri-us nig'ri-pes. 



