484 
THE STORY OF THE MINK. 
Like the martens, the minks have a uniformly long and somewhat bushy 
tail, differing markedly from that of the weasels; its whole length being 
approximately equal to half that of the head and body. The ears are 
smaller than in any of the allied forms, and scarcely appear above the general 
level of the fur. The coat consists of a dense, soft and matted under-fur, 
mixed with long, stiff and glossy hairs, the gloss being most marked in the 
fur of the uppea-parts, while the hairs of the tail are more bristly than else¬ 
where. In color the mink varies from a light dull yellowish brown to a rich 
black chocolate-brown, the ordinary tint being a rich dark brown, scarcely, 
if at all, paler below than above. The tail is always decidedly blackish. Our 
illustration exhibits the white upper lip usually distinctive of the European 
mink. In both the eastern and western forms the chin is always white, 
although the extent of the white area is subject to individual changes. In 
addition to the white on the chin, there may also be small irregular patches of 
the same color on the under parts, while, in rare instances, the tail may also 
be tipped with white. 
As a rule, the American mink is somewhat larger than the European, and 
in both the male is always larger than the female. The American form may 
vary in length from the tip of the snout to the root of the tail from fifteen 
to eighteen inches, while the length of the tail, inclusive of the hair, ranges 
from about eight to nine inches. The European mink is an inhabitant of 
Eastern Europe, occurring at the present day in Poland, Finland, and the 
greater part of Russia, although unknown to the eastward of the Ural 
Mountains. 
The American species ranges over the greater part of North America, 
although not found in the extreme north of that continent. 
In its general habits the mink, in both hemispheres, is thoroughly 
amphibious, and is therefore only found in districts where water is abundant. 
Indeed, these animals may in this respect be regarded as presenting precisely 
the same relationship to the polecat as is held by the water-vole to the land- 
vole. The mink not only swims and dives with facility, but can remain long 
under water, and pursues and captures fish by following them under logs 
or other places from which there is no free escape. It has thus been known 
to catch as swift and agile a fish as the brook-trout, and Audubon says that 1 
he has seen a mink catch a trout of upwards of a foot in length. It is 
remarkably strong for so small an animal, and a single one has been known 
to drag a mallard duck more than a mile, in order to get to its hole, where 
its mate joined in the feast. 
