336 



he acquires the evil habits of robbing the hen-roost. Still, as a 

 rule, Skunks are not addicted to this vice, and it is with them 

 very much as it is with dogs and cats; for every now and then 

 a dog will get into the habit of killing sheep, and a cat of kill- 

 ing chickens and sucking eggs, and yet we do not wage a war- 

 fare of extermination against them, collectively, on account 

 of the sins of a few of their number. 



"He is of the greatest practical value to the hop-grower, 

 for he frequents the hop-yard with great regularity, and greed- 

 ily devours the insect pests that, from their numbers and de- 

 structivieness, always injure, and sometimes ruin the crop. • 



* * Indeed, the benefit that accrues to the farmer from the 

 occupancy of his premises by a family of these useful animals 

 can hardly be over-estimated. They are large eaters and sub- 

 sist almost exclusively upon his greatest enemies, mice and in- 

 sects. 



"Of the truth of this assertion he may easily convince him- 

 self by merely taking the trouble to examine any bit of "Skunk 

 Sign' that he happens to come across: for in the summer sea- 

 son, their dejections consist wholly of the indigestible chitenous 

 coverings of beetles, grasshoppers and other insects.* " 



These statements from the farrile peu of the genial 

 and nble Merriam, tosrether with such information as 

 any one can readily sain by devoting a little stndy to 

 tlie Skunk in his native haunts should cause the 

 thoufihtful farmer's hoy to hesitate before destrny- 

 ing every Skunk and its family which he inny come 



SO.MKTIAIES DISTRESSKS OTHER NIOHT TRAVELERS. 



Of lourse we know it's very trying on a "fellow's 

 felins'" when he goes out, "as the shades of night are 

 falling," in a nice clean buggy drawn by a well ke])t 

 trotter, (o run over a clumsy prowling Skunk when he 

 is hurrying to see Iris best girl; but always bear in 

 mind it might have been mnch worse if that best girl 



