CHAPTER FOURTEEN 



HE little spotted skunks, "civets" or "civet cats," as 

 they are called by the fur trade, are diminutive an - 

 mals related to the larger skunks r.nd they have all the 

 ill-smelling attributes of their larger relatives. 



The little spotted skunk is a strikingly-marked black 

 and white animal which, when full grown, is only about 

 half the size of the ordinary skunk. In form it is thick-set, 

 with a broad, triangular-shaped head, set with small ei s. 

 The tail is long and bushy with very long, drooping hairs. 



In the ordinary skunk the white dorsal stripes are 

 regular and extend from the back of the head down the 

 body to the tail. The little spotted skunk, while of the same 

 general coloration as its relative — black and white — has 

 four white stripes, frequently interrupted by black hairs, 

 along the back which run from the ears to the middle of 

 the back and then continue to the rump in a series of white 

 spots or squares, the two central stripes being usually nar- 

 rower than the outer. Another spotted stripe is to be found 

 along the side from behind the foreleg to where it curves 

 upward near the hindleg. A white spot is usually found on 

 the hips and another on the head between the ears. In the 

 species found in Louisiana, the tail is black, but with a con- 

 spicuous white patch at the hip, which occupies about one- 

 fourth of the upper length. 



The pelage of this animal makes a very beautiful and 

 striking fur when fashioned into a garment or used as a 

 collar or trimming for other skins, as the black is rich- 

 looking and glossy and the white a decided one, as pure in 

 color as snow. It is this contrast of color that has made it 

 a popular fur with the woman who wears furs. The guard 

 hairs are hard and glistening, while the underfur is soft 

 and yielding. 





