. The American natural history; a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. Natural history. MINK, FERRET. AND WEASEL 29 of coast line. But with the introduction of fire- arms, and the sealing schooners, the Sea Otter has l>een almost exterminated. The few indi- viduals that remain are widely scattered, and are the wildest and wariest of all wild creatures. The Mink ' is much smaller than the otter, . yellowish brown or dark brown in color, and while it prefers to live along the banks of streams, it is not an aquatic animal like the otter, ^^'hen possible, it fe
. The American natural history; a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. Natural history. MINK, FERRET. AND WEASEL 29 of coast line. But with the introduction of fire- arms, and the sealing schooners, the Sea Otter has l>een almost exterminated. The few indi- viduals that remain are widely scattered, and are the wildest and wariest of all wild creatures. The Mink ' is much smaller than the otter, . yellowish brown or dark brown in color, and while it prefers to live along the banks of streams, it is not an aquatic animal like the otter, ^^'hen possible, it feeds chiefij' upon birds, because they are easilj' caught and killed, and when opportunity offers, it is a wanton murderer. It also preys upon small mammals and fish, whenever it can procure them. In the Beaver Pond of the New York Zoological Park a murderous Mink once killed six wild geese in one night, and another slaughtered ten herring gulls. A full-grown Mink looks very much like a large weasel, having a long, slender body and very short legs. The Mink is by no means as rare as the otter, and even to-day is found scattered throughout nearly the whole of North America, as far as the limit of trees. The round, hairy tail, choco- late-brown or yellowish-brown color and smaller size of this animal quickly distinguish it from all other animals of its Family. The body of a full- grown specimen is about as thick as the wrist of a medium-sized man. The length of the head and body is 19 inches, tail 7 inches. The Black-Footed Ferret," of Kansas, Colo- rado, Wyoming and Montana, is to many per- sons who live in its home country, an enigma. In 1849 this pretty creature was described and illustrated by Audubon and Bachman, after which it totally disappeared, and remained a mystery until it was re-discovered in 1886. In its home it is often called the Prairie-" Dog" Hunter, because its .specialty is the killing of prairie-"dogs;" and it is nearly always found in
Size: 1481px × 1686px
Photo credit: © Central Historic Books / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookp, booksubjectnaturalhistory
