SKUNK. 



Mephitis uiephitita. 



DESCRIPTION. 



A heavily-built animal, about the size of the house cat. al- 

 though its body is shorter and more bulky; weighs about 

 eight pounds: its legs are short, ears low, eyes brown, with a 

 long bushy tail. Color black (some examples maroon and 

 white). The white markings vary greatly in extent and de- 

 tail; some examples of the genus have a small white head 

 spot only, but the common pattern has narrow white frontal 

 (head) stripe, a broad nuchal (neck) white patch, from which 

 diverge on either side of back, and extend to or near the two 

 stripes of white. The tail may be black, but oftener it is 

 marked with white especially terminally. 



Habitat. — This species, including its varieties or subspecies, 

 occurs generally throughout temperate North America. 



This familiar auinial generally hides in some dark 

 retreat during the daylight although cceasionally on 

 cloudy days he is seen abroad and he also hunts in the 

 twilight. The species technically known as mephitica 

 and a form or subspecies called the Carolinian Skunk, 

 Mephitis mephitica elongata ' as d( lined by Mr. Bang.s, 

 with perliajis other subspecies, are in I'ennsylvama. 

 where many thousands O'f these animals are annually 

 killed for the fur trade. Indeed, the long and heavy 

 coat of this nianmial is so valuable in the fur markets 

 that Skunk farms are conducted on an extensive and 

 profitable basis in New York, Ohio and other states. 

 The Skunk, in different shades of dress, which, for the 

 jiurposes of this article, it is not necessary at this time 

 Irt discuss, is one of the common mammals of our 

 State. 



-SOME OF ITS COMMO.X NAMES. 



.Many persons know the animal by the name of Pole- 

 cat, a term ap])lied to a small, brownish-black, ferret- 



