Detlefsen and Holbrook: Skunk Breeding 



245 



CAREFULLY PLANNED MATINGS ARE NECESSARY TO SECURE FINE PELTS 



This is a very high grade female skunk with a split cap. She is the daughter of the female 

 (mutant c) shown in Fig. 5 by a very high grade male. Indispensable considerations in this sort 

 of breeding are size of pelt, density, texture, and color of fur, and amount of spotting. Assortative 

 mating must therefore be carefully planned for these results. (Fig. 3.) 



Normal wild skunks possess two white stripes of varying extent. One of the greatest problems 

 in skunk breeding is to produce what fashion seems to demand — solid black skins. By selective 

 breeding the white stripes can at least be reduced in size; and a self-black mutant may occur 



faint traces as remain may be covered 

 up and sealed by Balsam of Peru. 



The existence of these scent glands 

 and their chemically complex secretion 

 is an astonishing and freakish play of 

 evolution. They are also found in other 

 members of the Mustelidae, for exam- 

 ple, the mink. There is some histologi- 

 cal evidence that the glands are 

 homologous with the sweat and seba- 

 ceous glands of the skin. The secretion 

 itself has been studied in some detail 

 by Aldrich,'* who found by fractional 

 distillation that it could be divided into 

 two approximately equal portions, the 

 more volatile A and the less volatile B. 

 The more volatile A can be divided 

 again into three fractions, a, b, and c, 

 all of which give mercaptan reactions. 

 B gives no mercaptan reactions, but 

 both A and B are remarkable in the 

 large amount sulphur present. B prob- 

 ably contains some of the alkyl sul- 

 phides. The analysis of A shows that 



the fraction, a, is made up largely of one 

 of the butyl mercaptans (C4H9SH) 

 and possibly some of the higher mer- 

 captans. The mercaptans or alkyl 

 hydrosulphides resemble the alcohols 

 except that sulphur replaces the oxygen 

 of the alcohols. In general they have a 

 repulsive garlic like odor, an odor we 

 have often noted in disarming skunks. 

 Aldrich made some interesting tests 

 on the amount of secretion which may 

 be recognized by the sense of smell and 



f°""^ '^^' 6,900,000,00 °^ ^ "^^"^^'^"^ 

 of the fraction, a, in a cubic centimeter 

 of air could be easily detected, and 



even a dilution of ^^ q^qI^qq ^qq of a 



milligram to a cubic centimeter of air 

 was faintly apparent to all who 

 entered the experimental enclosure. 

 The persistent, pervasive, and pene- 

 trating character is common to mercap- 



^^Aldrich, T. B., 1896. Jour. Expt. Med., Vol. 1, pp. 323-340. 



