The Weasel And The Mink

Read more about weasels.

        The weasel is an odd little fellow with a flat, pointed head, short legs and slender body. Although so small it is a bold, fierce hunter, often killing animals several times its own size. It often kills just for the mere love of killing, so we are not surprised to learn that the weasel is the terror of all small animals. Rabbits and large rats will even allow themselves to be killed without any fight.

       The keen-witted, active weasel hunts swiftly and tirelessly, darting in and out of burrows, crevices and brush piles. It investigates every nook and cranny, pausing, now and then, to stand upright on its hind feet, its head swaying to and fro, as it peers about for prey.

        Sometimes, it follows tracks by means of its keen scent and makes the fatal spring when least expected. Sometimes, it follows small animals through underground passages to their hiding places. In this way it destroys great numbers of rats, mice and ground squirrels. As these are destructive to crops and orchards, the weasel may be classed as beneficial. However, the farmer does not consider him a friend when the little scamp enters a hen-house and kills as many as thirty of his chickens in one night.

       During the summer, the weasels wear brown coats. As cold weather comes and snow covers the ground, the coat gradually changes to white, with just the tip of the tail black, if it happens to carry such a black decoration. It is the white, soft, thick coat which is known as Ermine. The Bonaparte Weasel and the New York Weasel are the most common in our country. The Least Weasel is but six inches long and is completely white in the winter.

       Among the Native Americans, the weasel was looked upon with great respect, because it is such a great hunter. The capture of a weasel, among these peoples, is believed to bring good luck to the hunter. Fathers used to buy the skins of weasels, if they could not secure them otherwise, to fasten to the belts worn by their sons, that the youthful hunters might become filled with the hunting spirit of this “little chief” among mammals. Long ago, the chiefs treasured weasel pelts for decorating their war-bonnets and shirts.

       Another animal belonging to the same family is the mink. It is larger than the weasel and is often called the “water weasel.” It too has a beautiful coat of soft, silky fur. The color is dark brown the year round. It boasts a little white mark under the chin. This is a good thing to look for if you think you spy a mink, but are not absolutely sure. The tail is bushy and is rather long.

       Minks are expert hunters, whether on land or in water. They steal stealthily through the thickets hunting for mice and rabbits, or even larger woodland creatures. At another time, several may be found swimming in the water hunting for muskrats or fish. The animals so found are for food. The mink does not kill for the mere fun of killing as does the weasel.

       In April, the mother mink makes a comfortable nest in some hole in a hollow stump or log near a stream. It is there the five or six blind, naked and helpless youngsters are born. During the summer the mother teaches her babies to hunt and take care of themselves. By the time the cold weather arrives, they are well-trained and leave the mother. Gordon S. Pearsall 

• Watch the curious little weasel...