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 through 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 “ Minkery" 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 
light-colored, hairless, and about the size and shape of a little finger. 
* Quadrupeds of North America, vol. I, 1846, p. 258. 
