478 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Pliotograpli by Iloward Taylor Middleton 



A WEASEL AT BAY ON A TREE-TRUNK 



Wolves, coyotes, and foxes are the natural enemies of this fe- 

 rocious little creature. In spite of its diminutive size, it is a foe to 

 be respected, for its attack is always aimed at a vital point— com- 

 monly the l)rain, the back of the neck, or the jugular vein of its ad- 

 versarv. 



of prey whicli beset them. Many, how- 

 ever, are surprisingly courageous when 

 brought to bay, and, using their front 

 teeth, will fight to the death with vigor 

 and spirit. This is especially notable of 

 the muskrats and their cousins, the field- 

 mice. Carnivores, both great and small, 

 have teeth and claws with which to de- 

 fend themselves against attack. 



WHY THE SKUNK NEVER HURRIES 



In addition, skunks have an even more 

 potent weapon in the secretion of a vile- 



smelling liquid which 

 is sprayed on a dan- 

 gerous enemy. S o 

 confident are skunks 

 in the efficacy of this 

 weapon that they are 

 extremely calm and 

 unhurried in their 

 manners and take 

 little trouble to avoid 

 an encounter with 

 man or beast. Their 

 odorous weapon is not 

 used among them- 

 selves and appears to 

 be held for service 

 against more danger- 

 ous enemies. 



Scent glands are 

 common among r o - 

 dents, carnivores, and 

 insectivores, but are 

 ordinarily used for 

 purposes of communi- 

 cation with others of 

 their kind, sometimes 

 to attract the opposite 

 sex and sometimes 

 merely to give notice 

 of their presence in a 

 locality. 



The hard school of 

 experience holding 

 through the ages has 

 taught many of our 

 rodents the necessity 

 of lying up stores of 

 food to meet periods 

 of scarcity. M a n y 

 species store food in 

 a desultory way when- 

 ever a surplus is avail- 

 able, but when harvest 

 time comes, at the close of summer, the 

 work is taken up as a serious occupation 

 during many busy hours each day or 

 night by the species living where the se- 

 vere northern winters make the stores a 

 necessity. 



The storage instinct is possessed as well 

 by many of the southern desert species, 

 where climatic conditions permit activity 

 throughout the year. In such regions the 

 su]^]ilies serve during storms and m 

 ])eriods of drought, when the yield of 

 plant food is limited. 



