THE RELATIONS OF MAMMALS TO MAN 



457 



its pelt. The skunk (Fig. 319), although not yet in danger of 

 extinction, is likely soon to be, since its pelt has great intrinsic 

 value and the demand for it has not yet fully developed. Within 

 a few years the price of its fur will probably be more than doubled. 



FIG. 320. Apple tree killed by rabbits. (From Lantz.) 



The three fur animals named are economically the most im? 

 portant ones, because each is widely distributed and adapted to 

 a variety of climatic conditions. If, as is believed, they can be 

 domesticated or successfully reared in captivity, their breeding 

 may become a means of profit in most parts of the United States. 

 The skunk, especially, presents possibilities of widely extended 

 usefulness in domestication. At present it brings to the trappers 

 of the United States about $31,000,000 annually. 



