XLIII. 



The Hudsonian Skunk, Northern Skunk, Black- 

 tailed Skunk, or Prairie Polecat. 



Mephitis hudsonica Richardson. 



(L. Mephitis, a pestilential exhalation; L. hudsonica, Hudsonian, i.e., of Hudson 

 Bay Territory.) 



Mephitis americana var. hudsonica Richardson, 1829, F. B. 



A., I, p. 55- 

 Mephitis hudsonica Bangs, 1895, Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H., 



XXVI, p. 534. 

 Type Locality. — Plains of the Saskatchewan. 



French Canadian, I'Enfant du diable; le Chinche; 



la Mouffette; la Bete puante. 

 Cree, Ojib. & Saut., Shee-gawk'. In this we see 



the origin of the word 'Chicago,' meaning 



'Skunk-land.' 

 Yankton Sioux, Mah-cah. 

 Ogallala Sioux, Mah-kah'. 

 Chipewyan, NooV-tsee-a. 

 Huron, Scangaresse (Sagard-Theodat). 

 Abenaki, Seganku (Rasles). The word 'Skunk' is 



traced to the last two Indian words. 



The true Skunks belong to the Weasel Family (Mustelidce) 

 and to the Digger or Badger sub-division of the group {Melince). 

 They form the genus Mephitis (Cuvier, 1800) and are about 

 the size of a common house cat; have short ears, long fur, very 

 large and bushy tails, are black in colour, with a thin white 



9G6 



