Hudsonian Skunk 989 



and uttering the squealing he had heard. The Skunk was 

 dead, but evidently killed within a few minutes. Its skull was 

 broken. It seemed impossible that the Rabbit should have 

 done it, but there was nothing to show who did, or why the 

 Rabbit should be fighting the body. 



The Skunk is regularly eaten by Indians and trappers, flesh 

 Provided the animal met sudden death and was not too old, the 

 flesh is said to be white, tender, and well-flavoured. 



All the Northern species of the group are standard fur- fur 

 bearers. Their pelts are cased ; they are prime from November 

 I to April I. 



During the fifty-eight years, 1848 to 1905 inclusive, the 

 Hudson's Bay Company collected 302,564 skins of this species, 

 an average of 5,216 for each year. The lowest were o in 1849 

 and 1,263 in 1848; the highest, 12,583, in 1889. The average 

 for the ten years, 1895 to 1905, was 9,425. 



Poland's lists show that during the thirty-four years, 1858 

 to 1 89 1 inclusive, 9,765,442 skins were taken by the other 

 American companies, an average of 287,218 each year. So 

 that the average annual catch of Skunk for fur is about 

 390,000. 



The Winnipeg market quotations, March 26, 1904, were 

 25 cents to $1. 



At the London annual fur sales, held at Lampson's in 

 March, 1906, there were sold 445,051 Skunk skins, chiefly 

 from the United States. The highest price realized was 11 

 shillings ($-2.64) each for a superb lot of 233 Ai black skins. 

 Inferior skins went as low as 2 shillings or 3 shillings (48 cents 

 and 72 cents). The ruling price for first-class skins was 8 to 9 

 shillings ($1.92 to $2.16). 



As Skunks are easily managed in captivity, and very 

 prolific, experiments are being made at Skunk-farming for fur. 

 I summarize below our knowledge of this new industry. 



