no enemy was in sight. Some moments 
later a mink came loping along leisure- 
ly, taking it easy, and “smoking his 
pipe” but keeping unerringly on the 
track of the rabbit which he was fol- 
lowing by scent. Where the rabbit had 
made a sharp angular turn the mink 
did not pick up the trail again by circl- 
ing like a hound. It was a different 
plan. He quickened his pace eagerly 
and made a series of right and left 
zigzags. Having found the trail he then 
went on again as though time were of 
no value to a mink. 
What happened was probably this: 
The rabbit made the customary dash 
for liberty and then sat down and 
waited for his enemy to catch up with 
him. This may have been repeated 
several times and the rabbit likely 
enough finally decided that he would be 
safer in a hole in the ground or in a 
stone wall. When cornered in such a 
place the mink would be sure of his 
prey. 
Apropos of the subject of mink 
habits, I once had two young minks 
which I planned to train to be used 
like ferrets. This proved not to be 
practical, for when they were muzzled 
they would manage to kill a rabbit or a 
rat in a hole with their powerful claws 
and then having their fill of the blood 
of their prey, would remain some time 
without returning to a point where I 
could pick them up again. After dig- 
ging them out two or three times, it 
was evident that mink would not ans- 
wer for ferret purposes. From my 
point of view there was a difference be- 
tween “getting there” and _ staying 
there. 
Some interesting features developed 
in connection with my efforts at tam- 
ing these two young minks. They 
would allow me to handle them freely 
and would climb down into my over- 
coat pocket looking for a dead mouse 
but would quickly begin to tear earn- 
estly through the cloth of the overcoat 
for the mouse if they did not get into 
the pocket readily enough. They would 
allow me to fondle them but would not 
allow anyone else to touch them. Dignity 
takes the place of affection with a mink. 
A notable point was that they in- 
stantly saw the nearest point of ap- 
proach to a piece of meat suspended 
from a piece of string on a stick. They 
would jump from the nearest point and 
catch the meat in the air, hanging su- 
spended and swinging until I loweréd 
them to the ground. 
I could not always tell as quickly as 
a mink what this nearest point in the 
room was. If it happened to be a chair 
one of the minks would run up the 
back of the chair and leap into the 
air, catching the meat with teeth and 
claws. If the chandelier happened to 
be the nearest point, the mink would 
run up the pipe along the wall, then 
out on the horizontal portion of the 
pipe and down it to the chandelier 
with a leap to the meat from there. 
Sometimes the leap was from the top 
of a bureau and if I happened to fur- 
nish the nearest point the mink would 
jump on me, run out along my arm, 
along the stick and make his leap from 
that point. All of these movements 
were made with great rapidity and 
instantaneous decision. 
The minks enjoyed this sport ap- 
parently as much as kittens do when 
playing with a ball and they would 
chatter with delight or impatience when 
I put them through their paces for the 
amusements of friends. They were 
easily enraged, however, and were 
spiteful when teased, resenting indigni- 
ties viciously. 
Dr. RoBERT T. Morris 
New York CITY 
Objects to January Cover 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
ARDON my _ butting in, but in 
the interest of your magazine and 
the cause you represent—for pity’s 
sake don’t use such a cover picture as 
you have on your January issue again. 
A full grown hunter that has shot a 
fox and standing over it as though he 
has done a brave deed. You might as 
well have had one of a deer hunter 
that has shot a fawn or doe, or num- 
erous other deeds that the true sports- 
man would condemn and lose interest in 
your magazine on sight of such a piece 
of vandalism. Don’t take my word for 
the suggestion, but ask any owner of 
one of the beautiful walker hounds 
shown inside and he will no doubt be 
able to convince you of your error. 
B.S: SEARCY 
Tuscaloosa, Ala. 
(About a year ago we had a rather 
heated discussion on the fox question in 
our columns. Readers from the North 
and South set down opinions as to how 
a hunt should be conducted. 
Hunters of Reynard in the northern 
states contended that the fox cannot be 
followed with hounds and horses, the 
method pursued in the South, due to the 
rugged character of the country. They 
also pointed out the fact that the fox is 
classed as vermin in the North and is 
a menace to game birds and poultry. 
Southern fox hunters held that no 
man worthy of the name of sportsman 
would carry a gun afield. To shoot a 
fox is an unthinkable offense. 
Judging from the amount of corre- 
spondence that came into our office, we 
should say that the question is 
geographical rather than ethical, there- 
fore we carefully refrain from making 
an editorial statement. 
Some day, perhaps, we shall publish 
as a cover subject, a scene depicting 
the hounds “finishing” Reynard. Then, 
no doubt, we shall receive a letter from 
some sincere northern fox hunter, tak- 
ing us to task for our impudence—and 
we shall have to write another foot- 
note !—Editors.) 

= = Pia 
Alaskan bear killed by Mr. Jack Otis, of Belkofsky, Alaska, with one shot 
from a No. 30 Remington rifle. Distance paced 490 yards. The skin measures 
11 ft. 7 in. long and 10 ft. 5 in. wide. Estimated weight 1900 pounds 
163 
