THE BEARS 



173 



The skunks, so far as color is concerned (Fig. 161), 

 are among the most attractive of animals ; but they se- 

 crete so power- 

 ful a fluid that it / 

 places them be- 

 yond practical 

 ownership; yet 

 the flesh of the 

 skunk is said to 

 be one of the 

 most delicate of 

 all meats. The 

 secretion which is 

 so disagreeable is 

 confined to a pe- fi^- ^^i- -the skunk. 

 culiar gland and is a protection to the animal, being simply 

 overpowering in its effects. 



Fig. 162. — The Badger. 

 Similar forms in general appearance are the badgers 

 (Fig. 162), which are common in the West. They flatten 



