162 The Ottawa Naturalist. [November 



SKUNKS AS DESTROYERS OF POULTRY. TWO PER- 

 SONAL EXPERIENCES. 



By Norman Griddle, Treebank, Man. 



It is well known that skunks have a fondness for eggs as 

 well as poultry, but of the numerous accounts that are re ated 

 from time to time, it is difficult to secure the authenticity 

 necessary to make them of true scientific value. 



Two instances of skunks robbing poultry houses have 

 come under my observation recently, and as both had points 

 of interest, they may prove worthy of relating. 



The first of these occurred in October two years ago, when 

 a young skunk dug beneath the foundation of a poultry house 

 and killed six birds by seizing them by the back of the neck 

 close to the head, and apparently sucking a small amount of 

 blood from each. A most interesting feature of this attack 

 was that the brains had been eaten from every one. The 

 animal was trapped the next night while entering the building. 



The other case which was that of egg sucking occurred 

 here last spring. 



Several hens were "sitting" upon eggs in nests about a 

 foot from the ground. The nests consisted of boxes with only 

 the fronts open, and then were partly closed with wooden bars 

 some three inches apart to prevent the hens leaving the eggs 

 excepting at special hours. 



On the third of May it was noticed that nine eggs had been 

 broken open and the contents e^ten, as well as three bad eggs 

 that were not in the nest. The hen was still sitting comfortably 

 on the nest, and had apparently not been disturbed. There was 

 a hole beneath the foundation of the building where the animal 

 had entered. The next night ten more eggs went, and the 

 following night eight more, which completed the settings of 

 two hens. AH the eggs were taken from beneath the hens and 

 eaten in the nest without anv sign of the birds having been 

 disturbed in spite of the fact that the animal had to squeeze 

 between the bars to get into the nest. The eggs were all opened 

 at the large end, the top being taken off as if with a knife, 

 without damaging the other parts of the shell. The shells were 

 found next morning round the hens not under them which 

 tends to confirm the theory that the hens had not been 

 materially disturbed, as in that case some of the shells would 

 have almost surely been found under them. 



After the above damage had been "done a thorough search 



