THE SKUNKS 667 



The nests of these animals are formed either in holes in the Aground, in hollow 

 trunks of trees, or among rocks ; and in the North-American species the number in 

 a litter is usually from six to ten. The young are born in the spring, and generally 

 remain with their parents as inhabitants of the same hole till the following spring, 

 when they have to make way for a fresh family. Dr. Merriam states that if a trap 

 be set at the entrance of one of these holes the whole family may commonly be cap- 

 tured, at the rate of one per night. Surprising as it may at first sight appear, the 

 common skunk, especially when captured young, is said to make a pretty and 

 agreeable pet, gentle in manners, and cleanly in habits ; while the beauty of its fur 

 makes its personal appearance highly attractive. Moreover, the flesh of these ani- 

 mals is said to be white, delicate, and highly palatable. 



The secretion that has given the skunk such an ill name is contained in a 

 pair of glands situated beneath the tail> and can be ejected at the will of the animal; 

 such ejection taking place only when the creature is attacked or irritated. So forci- 

 bly can the fluid (which is of an amber color) be ejected, that it will carry from a 

 distance of thirteen feet to a little over sixteen feet. It appears that there is a 

 marked difference in the intensity of the odor of the secretion in different individuals 

 of the common skunk, which is probably in part due to the age of the animal, and 

 in part to the length of time which has elapsed since the preceding discharge took 

 place. When freshly ejected, the fumes from the secretion are pungent and acrid 

 in the extreme, and are probably capable of producing extensive swelling of the 

 respiratory passages. Dr. Merriam states that ' ' when inhaled without the admix- 

 ture of a large amount of atmospheric air the unhappy victim loses consciousness 

 .and breathes stertoriously, the temperature falls, and the pulse slackens, and if the 

 inhalation were prolonged the results would doubtless prove fatal. ' ' It has been 

 stated that the secretion is not only used as a means of defense but also as a means 

 of attracting these animals toward one another. This, however, is strenuously de- 

 nied by Dr. Merriam. 



Of the lasting and pernicious effects of even a drop of skunk secretion, no more 

 striking instance exists than one recently published by Mr. W. H. Hudson, who 

 writes of the South-American species. This observer relates, as a not uncommon 

 event on the Argentine pampas, that a settler starts one evening to ride to a dance 

 at a neighbor's house. "It is a dark windy evening, but there is a convenient 

 bridle path through the dense thicket of giant thistles, and striking it he puts his 

 horse into a swinging gallop. Unhappily the path is already occupied by a skunk, 

 invisible in the darkness, that, in obedience to the promptings of its insane instinct, 

 refuses to get out of it, until the flying hoofs hit it and sent it like a well-kicked 

 football into the thistles. But the fore-feet of the horse, up as high as his knees 

 perhaps, have been sprinkled, and the rider, after coming out into the open, dis- 

 mounts and walks away twenty yards from his animal, and literally smells himself 

 all over, and with a feeling of profound relief pronounces himself clean. Not the 

 minutest drop of the diabolical spray has touched his 'dancing shoes. Springing 

 into the saddle he proceeds to his journey's end, and is warmly welcomed by his 

 host. In a little while people begin exchanging whispers and significant glances ; 

 . . ladies cough and put their handkerchiefs to their noses, and presently 



