CHAPTER YII. 



Subfamily MEPHITIN.E : The SkUxNks. 



General considerations — Cranial and dental characters — The anal armature — 

 Division of the subfamily into genera — Note on fossil North American 

 species — The genus Mephitis — Mephitis mephitica, the Common Skunk — 

 Synonymy — Habitat — Specific characters — Description of external charac- 

 ters — Description of the skull and teeth — Variation in the skull with 

 special reference to geographical distribution — Anatomy and physiology 

 of the anal glands and properties of the secretion — Geographical distri- 

 bution and habits of the Skunk — History of the species — Addendum : on 

 hydrophobia from Skunk-bite, the so-called " rabies mephitica ". 



General considerations. 



A CONCISE diagnosis of this subfamily will be found on 

 p. 10, where the characters of the group are contrasted 

 with those of the other North American subfamilies. 



The subfamily is confined to America, its nearest Old World 

 representatives being the African ZorilUnce. It is a small group, 

 of only two or three genera and x)erhaps not more than four or 

 five really good species, among the great number of nominal 

 ones indicated by authors. More precise knowledge than we 

 now possess will be required to fix the number of species, espe- 

 cially in the genus Conepatus. No more than three species are 

 known to inhabit North America north of Mexico, each one 

 typical of a different genus or subgenus. There is a Mexican 

 species of Mephitis proper, apparently perfectly distinct from M. 

 mepliitica. One North American and Mexican species of a sec- 

 ond allied subgenus, Spilogale, and one or several North, Cen- 

 tral, and South American species of the very different genus, 

 Conepatus, complete the list as far as known. 



In entering upon the Mepliitince. we pass to a group quite 



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