1 889-1 Psychology. I77 
On the ripples in the center of the stream, where the water 
was not more than two feet in depth, was a flat Drift Bowlder 
rising a few inches above the surface. On this rock the mother 
Mink would take her position, and here watch for small fish to 
approach, when she would dive into the water, be gone for a 
moment, and then reappear on the opposite side of the rock, 
usually with a fish in her mouth, which she would deposit in 
the center of the stone, and its struggles instantly stop by a 
quick sharp bite back of the head, which caused immediate 
death. This process was repeated without intermission, ex- 
cept to stop for an instant to shake the water from her furry 
coat, until seven fish varying from four to seven inches in 
length, were deposited on the rock. Then, without stopping 
to rest, taking one of the fish in her mouth, she plunged into 
the stream and swam to the shore, climbed the steep bank and 
ran hastily to her young, in a burrow under an old stump on 
the bank of the stream, fifty yards away. In a moment she 
was seen returning, plunged into the stream and swam to the 
rock, took a second fish in her mouth, entered the river once 
more, and returned to her young as at first. 
This was repeated until all the fish had been carried away. 
A few moments after having removed the last fish, she re- 
turned and began her work once more. This time, however, 
her labors were without result, so, shifting her position to an- 
other rock in the stream, a short distance away, she continued 
her fishing. But although more than a quarter of an hour was 
spent in energetic effort, her labors were without avail, and she was 
this time compelled to return to her young "empty handed." 
After waiting for some time, we crossed the stream to ex- 
amine the burrow, but before going halfway, the old Mink 
was met returning to her fishing ground. From the bank of 
the stream, where egress from the water was made, to the 
burrow, fifty yards distant, a well beaten path had been formed 
by the mother Mink in her daily excursions in quest of food 
for her young. Not wishing to destroy the burrow (which 
would have been necessary) the number and condition of the 
young was not ascertained. How long this Mink had been 
engaged in fishing before our attention was attracted to her, 
or how long it would have been continued, had she been undis- 
turbed, it is difficult to say. But it is true that a degree of 
parental love and affection, (if we may so term it,) was 
evinced by the mother Mink for her young, in thus so indefat- 
igably laboring, under a scorching July sun, to procure them 
food, as it is but rarely witnessed. — C. L. Webster. 
