MIN'IVET. One of a group of about twenty species of small shrike-like birds of the oriental region. The males are. in general. black and rose, while the females are gray and saffron. Consult Blythe, .1foninto is and Birds of Burma (London. 1)-)75) ; and other authorities mt Oriental ornithology cited under than.
MINK (probably from Swed. mink).
Any of several species of weasel-like animals of the genus Putorins. family :\histelidhr, distin gui•dicif from the martens. stoats, ete., by their sem i-a41 int t ic habits. and certain pecid iarities of dentition. The .\111(.riCal11 Milli: Pn torins riRon) is found throughout North America, hut especially in the northern and mountainous parts. The European mink (Putorius intreobt), usually ealled 'norz' or 'mink,' occurs in Finland. Poland. Scandinavia. and Russia. and formerly extended as fat' west as Central Germany. 'Flue mink of Siberia (/'utoriuR is a quite distinct hut little known species. The _11nerienn mink is somewhat huger than the European species ( 1 5 to IR inches besides the tail. 9 inches). and is further distinguished by the bbick upper lip: in the European mink the upper lip is It 11 ite.
Minks are inlinhilants of well-watered areas. haunting the banks of and borders of ponds in -.parch of their food, and making their 114)1nes in loirrowq, whirl open near the water. They are excellent swimmers, having, the feet partially webbed, and spend much time in the water. Although, like other Slustelhhe, they cat birds, small mammals, mid eggs, the prin cipal food of minks comes from the water; thus fish, frogs, salamanders, crayfish. and even nod lusks, form their chief diet, and muskrats and taller Nvater-loving mammals also fall prey to their voracity. The fur of the mink is of great
value commercially, though the price varies much Nrith color and quality. (See Fun AND TI1E FUR TRADE.) Minks n re usually brown, sometimes rather light, but more often very dark, especially along the mid-do•sal line. The darker the animal the more valuable it is. The fun• is made up of a dense undercoat and an outer coat of long, shining hairs, and the skins from the coldest regions are usually the most valuable. Like all its near relatives, the mink is bloodthirsty and cruel. It is very courageous, and when cornered is savage. The young are horn in the early spring, usually in a hole in the bank of some body of water, where plenty of food is easily obtained. The moldier of young is about six in a litter. The mink is second only to the skunk in the strength, penetrating power, and nauseousness of the odor of the secretion in the anal glands, but fortunately it is only when the animal is greatly enraged that the odor becomes very disagreeable. Slinks are said to be easily tamed if taken young, and to enjoy being petted, but their temper is capricious, and as they grow old they become dangerous. Civilization seems to have little effect upon them, there being few districts so completely cleared or densely settled as not to afford them refuge.
Consult: Audubon and Bachman, Quadrupeds of North America (New York. 1851) ; ('ones, Fur bearing Animals (Washington. 1879) ; Stone and Cram.,lmerican Animals (New York, 1902). See FUR-BEARING ANIMALS.