664 THE CARNIVORES 



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 

 p. 666 being the exception, and forming the genus Conepatus. 



The typical forms have thirty-four teeth, of which f are incisors, \ canines, 

 f premolars, and | molars; and the whole of them are easily recognized by their 

 large bushy tails, usually carried over the back, and their general black color 

 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 North- 

 ern 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, gener- 

 ally 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 color of 

 the moderately-long hair of the body is black or blackish; and, although there is a 

 great amount of individual variation, the white markings usually take the form of a 

 streak on the forehead, a spot on the neck, and two stripes running down the back. 

 The tail is black, more or less mixed with white, or merely tipped with the same. 

 In some cases the white stripes do not extend beyond the neck, so that the back is 

 entirely black. 



The nearly-allied long-tailed skunk (M. macrura) from Mexico dif- 



~. fers by its longer and more bushy tail, of which the whole length is 



not less than that of the head and body. 



More distinct is the lesser skunk ( M. putorius) , ranging from the 

 southern United States to Yucatan and Guatemala. This species never 

 exceeds a foot in length from the snout to the root of the tail, the whole tail being 

 distinctly shorter than the head and body. It has four interrupted white stripes on 

 the body, together with some spots, and the tail is tipped with white. There are 

 also certain differences in the characteristics of the skull. 



In South America the group is represented by a very distinct species 



_, , known as the white-backed skunk ( Conepatus mapurito} , which is the 

 one figured in our illustration. This skunk differs from all the others 

 by its heavier build and more pig-like head and snout, in which the nostrils are di- 

 rected downward and forward, instead of laterally. There are, moreover, impor- 

 tant differences in the form of the skull and teeth, the latter being usually only 

 thirty-two in number, owing to the absence of the first pair of premolar teeth in the 

 lower jaw. Then, again, the ears are extremely small, and the tail is shorter and 

 less bushy than in the other skunks. In size this species is the largest of the group, 



