CONCORD. 
1892 
August 24 
Mink swims 
the river 
^Driving with C, — 9 to 11 A. M.— about the village 
and through the Virginia Road. Saw few birds except Song 
Sparrows and heard nothing sing. The rum cherries are 
ripening fast and Cedar Birds and Robins are already eating 
them. Near our large tree I saw- two Flickers; they, also, 
are very fond of these cherries."j 
To Ball’s Hill alone at 3 P. M., paddling most of 
the way. Near the foot of Beaver Dam Rapid a large Mink 
crossed the river 100 yards or more in advance of me. I 
recognized him at once by the large, bushy tail held well 
out of (the) water and perfectly motionless. IcN,. .. 
A Musk-rat will occasionally carry his tail in much the 
same way but he is sure to move it every second or so and 
usually waves or vibrates it incessantly. Another point of 
difference was the greater space between the head and tail 
(the back was entirely submerged) of the Mink. At a dis¬ 
tance the tail looked like the head of a second a.nd larger 
animal following the first closely. This Mink swam much 
more slowly than the one I saw in the Da.msda.le pool last 
May and no faster than a Musk-rat. He went ashore very noise¬ 
lessly, entering a bed of pickerel weed without making any 
plashing or agitating the stems of the plants as a. Musk-rat 
would have done. I did not try to overtake him but on the 
contrary stopped paddling as soon as I first sighted him 
and watched him through my glasses. He did not appear to notice 
me at all. 
HZ 
