74 CARNIVORES. 



of no possible use to it ; and one instance is recorded where these animals removed 



and concealed the whole paraphernalia of an unoccupied hunter's lodge, including 



such articles as guns, axes, knives, cooking vessels, and blankets. 



Dr. Coues states that the glutton " may be captured in wooden 

 Capture. . .. ... i r» . i , <• i , 



traps similar to those used tor martens, but ot course made on a much 



larger scale, as the animal's strength is enormous, even for its size. The traps are 



sometimes built with two doors ; but so great is the cunning and sagacity of the 



beast, that the contrivance for its destruction must be very perfect. The traps 



should be covered up with pine-brush, and made to resemble a cache as much as 



possible, as the wolverene is then likely to break in and get caught. The bait, 



ordinarily the conspicuous feature of a trap, must in this instance be concealed, or 



the animal will either break in from behind or, failing in this, will pass on his way. 



It is sometimes also taken in steel traps, or by means of a set gun, but both these 



methods are uncertain." 



The Skunks. 

 Genera Mephitis and Conepatas. 



The handsome but ill-savoured skunks introduce us to the second great group 

 of the present family, which includes the skunks, badgers, and their allies, and 

 is characterised as follows. The feet are long, with straight toes, and the claws 

 are blunt, but slightly curved and compressed, and quite incapable of retraction ; 

 those of the fore-feet being remarkable for their large size. The form of the 

 molar tooth of the upper jaw is somewhat variable. Most of the members of this 

 group are terrestrial and fossorial in their habits. 



The skunks, of which there are several species, are an exclusively American 

 group, of which all but one are referred to the genus Mephitis ; our example on 

 page 76 being the exception, and forming the genus Conepatus. 



The typical forms have 34 teeth, of which f are incisors, \ canines, § premolars, 



and h molars ; and the whole of them are easily recognised by their large bushy 



tails, usually carried over the back, and their general black colour variegated with 



white stripes on the back ; this coloration being another instance of the tendency 



of the upper part of the body to be lighter than the lower among many members 



of the family. 



The common skunk (Mephitis mephitica) is an inhabitant of 

 Common Skunk. T . . 



Northern and Central America, ranging from Hudson's Bay in the 



north to Guatemala in the south, and it may be compared in size to a rather small 



cat, the length of the head and body always exceeding a foot, although there is 



considerable local variation in this respect. It is a stoutly-built animal, with a 



small head, short and rounded ears, a moderately -elongated body, and legs of 



medium length ; the mode of walking being partially plantigrade. The long and 



bushy tail is thickly clothed with very long and fine hair, and is, as already 



mentioned, generally carried curled over the back when the animal is walking. 



Its length, inclusive of the hair, is somewhat less than that of the head and body. 



The general colour of the moderately long hair of the body is black or blackish ; 



