68 



MAMMALIA. 



They rut during- the latter part of February or early in March, and 

 during this season their tracks may be seen everywhere — along 

 rocky ridges, over high mountains, and in all sorts of places. Dr. 

 Bachman tells us that at this time the Mink "seems to keep on foot 

 all day as well as throuirh the whole night," and says further : " Hav- 

 ing for several days in succession observed a number of Minks on 

 the ice hurrying up and down a mill-pond, where we had not ob- 

 served any during a whole winter, we took a position near a place 

 which we had seen them pass, in order to procure some of them. 



" We shot six in the course of the morning, and ascertained that 

 they were all large and old males. As we did not find a single fe- 

 male in a week, whilst we obtained a great number of males, we 

 came to the conclusion that the females, during this period, remain 

 in their burrows."* 



From four to six young constitute an ordinary litter, and they are 

 brought forth early in May. The nests are in burrows or hollow 

 logs and are usually well-lined with feathers, and sometimes, it is 

 said, with the fur of the female. The young follow the mother till 

 the fall, and then generally disperse to look out for themselves. 



The famous ''Minkcry'' of Mr. H. Resseque, at Verona, Oneida 

 County, New York, has afforded rare facilities for the study of the 

 breeding habits of this species, and from the accounts of it that have 

 been published in the Fanciers' Journal and Poultry Exchange, and 

 Forest and Stream, and summarized by Dr. Coues, I quote the follow- 

 ing: "At this time [early in March] the males fight desperately, and 



if not soon separated one always gets the mastery The females 



reproduce when one year old. The duration of gestation scarcely 

 varies twelve hours from six weeks. There is but one litter annually. 

 The litters run from three to ten in number; the young are born 

 blind, and remain so for five weeks. When newly born, they are 

 lio-ht-colored, hairless, and about the size and shape of a little finger. 



■Quadrupeds of North America, vol. I, 1846, p. 258. 



