XIII SKUNKS 439 
claws of the fore-paws. It is North American, but gets into 
Mexico. The molar formula is as in the American genera 
Mephitis and Conepatus, and as in the Old-World Jetonyx, and 
it thus differs from that of JJe/es. Besides the great size of the 
claws upon the hand, which are larger relatively than those of 
any other Carnivore, the genus Yaxidea is to be distinguished 
from all Arctoids (indeed, from all Carnivora) except Mydaus, by 
the fact that the pelvic limb is of the same length as the 
pectoral. The muzzle is furry except at the very extremity; this 
is grooved. The animal is carnivorous, subsisting upon the 
following very varied kinds of food——“ Spermophiles, Arvicolas, 
birds’ eggs, and snails, also honey-comb, wax, and bees.” 
The Skunk, Mephitis, is an American animal with several 
species, which range from North to Central America. The black- 
and-white colour distinguishes the genus, which is furthermore 
marked by the fact that the third digit of the hand is relatively 
longer than in any other Carnivore except Zaxidea. The soles are 
partly hairy. It is a terrestrial fossorial animal with well-known 
powers of protecting itself from ageression. But nevertheless the 
Skunk has its enemies, and is not quite so unmolested as is some- 
times popularly supposed. The Puma, Harpy Eagle, and the 
Great Horned Owl will at least occasionally attack and devour 
it. The molar formula is Pm 3 M4. There are sixteen dorsal 
vertebrae. 
Conepatus is amore southern form of Skunk, extending down 
into South America. Its dentition is like that of Mephitis save 
for the loss of an upper premolar. This genus, which has been 
further subdivided, differs from Mephitis in the fact that the 
soles of the feet are wholly naked, whereas in Mephitis those ot 
the hind-limbs are partially hairy. It has no groove on the 
nose. Its tail is shorter than that of Mephitis. This Skunk 
has the same habits as the last. In certain parts of South 
America the animals are so abundant and their odour so powerful 
that in the evening there is generally a recognisable smell about. 
This is said to be good for the headache ! 
Sub-Fam. 3. Lutrinae.—Of this sub-family there are at least 
two genera. Hnhydris (Latax),’ the Sea-Otter, is confined to the 
shores of the North Pacific. It is more purely aquatic than are 
1 Lydekker, ‘‘ Note on the Structure and Habits of the Sea-Otter (Latax lutris),” 
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1895, p. 421 ; and zbid. 1896, p. 235. 
