220 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



walking, aud, after notiug its gait and other actious, I shot it 

 dead. The specimeu was too offensive to be skinned, however, 

 as some of the fluid had been blown upon its fur. In the course 

 of my various campaigns in the West, I have witnessed not a 

 few ludicrous scenes, and have known the startling cry of 

 " Skunk !'' to throw a camp into as great commotion, to all out- 

 ward appearance, as that other graver, yet not less sudden, 

 warning of Indians. But to recount stories of Skunks would be 

 to go on indefinitely ; like the pelt to the furrier, anecdotes to the 

 historian are '' staple", and may be read in all the books, such 

 is the facetiousuess which this subject seems to inevitably call 

 forth. 



History of the species. 



The Skunk has figured in literature for more than two cen- 

 turies, as can be said of comparatively few American animals. 

 The earliest account I have found, one which Eichardson also 

 said was the first he had met with, is that given by Gabriel 

 Sagard-Theodat, "Mineur Recollect de la Prouince de Paris", 

 in his History of Canada, 1036. The quaint passage runs as 

 follows : — 



"Les enfaus du diable, que les Hurous appellent Scaugaresse, 

 & le commun des MontagnaisBabougi Mauitou, ou Ouinesque, 

 est un beste fortj)uaute^ de la grandeur d'un chat ou d'un ieune 

 renard, mais elle a la teste un peu moins aigue, & la peau cou- 

 uerte d'un gros poil rude & enfume, et sa grosse queue retrous- 

 see de mesme, elle se cache en Hyuer sous la neige, & ne sort 

 point qu'au commencement de laLunedu mois deMars, laquelle 

 les Montagnais nomment Ouiniscon pismi, qui signifie la Lune 

 de la Ouinesque. Get animal, outre qu'il est jle^fort mau- 

 uaise odeur, est tres-malicieux & d'un laid regard, ils iettent 

 aussi (a ce qu'on dit) parmy leurs excremens de petits serpens, 

 longs cS: deliez, les quels ne viuent neant moins gueres long 

 temps. Pen pensois apporter une peau passee, mais un Fran- 

 cois passager me Tayaut demandee ie la luy donnay." 



From the way in which this passage opens, we may presume 

 or infer that "eufan du diable" was already a recognized name 

 among the French, in spoken at least, if not also written, lan- 

 guage. The "devil's own "beast is also mentioned by various 

 other early writers, amongst whom Gharlevoix may be cited. 

 It was the "Fiskatta" of Kalm (17 . . ); but the date of the 

 introduction of the term "Skunk" 1 have not been able to as- 



