146 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



in Malheur county, Oregon, on August 20, 1913. Mr. Anthony 

 writes as follows : 



"The dam made a large, still pool, grown up about most of 

 the margin by willows. Large clumps of dead willows were in 

 the pond, and low, rank grass on the side I approached. I heard 

 something drop off into the water as I came up, and marked the 

 animal's progress through the shallow, grass-encumbered water 

 by the movement of the grass tops. Presently from my right 

 (the first animal had made off to the left) about two minutes 

 later, a slight noise disclosed the approach of something. It came 

 following the low, grass-overhung bank to within six or eight feet 

 of me, the vegetation hiding it. Then the animal came ashore and 

 darted yet closer through the grass, the movements of the tops 

 showed quick, hurried motion below. Back then, the way it had 

 come, and the hasty glimpse I secured showed a fine, large mink. 

 All his movements seemed so quick and businesslike. I think he 

 must have been trailing some animal, probably a muskrat, for 

 their burrows and runways were quite plentiful in this vicinity. 

 Beyond a doubt the first animal I heard was the muskrat which 

 would surely have been caught had I not taken his place, for the 

 mink came straight to where I stood, in his bloodthirsty quest. 

 Although I waited some minutes for a shot, expecting him to 

 appear farther down the bank, I never saw him again." 



It has been reported that mink sometimes invade the docks 

 along the waterfront in Portland and kill chickens in shipping 

 crates that are awaiting transportation. At one time, the writer 

 was stopping at a logging camp in the mountains, where the cook 

 had boiled a large pot of salt codfish which he set on a bench 

 just outside the camp door to cool overnight. Next morning 

 every particle of that fish had been carried away, but the mink 

 left his telltale tracks, thereby settling all doubt as to the robber. 



Mink are widely distributed over the state of Oregon. There 

 is probably not a stream or lake in the state where this animal is 

 unknown, and he is one of the few species that seems to have 

 wits enough to hold his own in settled regions where others soon 

 disappear under constant persecution. Mink live in burrows 

 along or near our watercourses and in the spring, April to June, 

 the female mink gives birth to from four to eight young. Both 



