CHAPTER XXV 



JOURNEY FROM MR. DUNFORD's FARM TO 

 MARQUETTE 



I THINK I have mentioned that the number of small 

 mammals in the forest near Mr. Dunford's farm was con- 

 siderable both in numbers and species. In addition to 

 rodents and insectivores, there were also many foxes and 

 skunks, and these last gave some trouble to my host by 

 visiting his hen-roosts and killing his poultry, for the 

 skunks have just the same habits as the foxes in this 

 respect. To guard himself from these depredators it was 

 his custom to leave a fierce dog, of mongrel breed, loose 

 in the yard all night. The dog killed one skunk by nip- 

 ping it across the loins, thus affording some refutation 

 of the opinion that dogs are scared away by the abomin- 

 able stench of this animal. Some dogs will not attack 

 skunks ; a good dog will do so. It would seem, therefore, 

 that fear rather than the offensive smell is the deterring 

 cause. The skunk is a very fierce animal when put on 

 its defence, and is a match for a bigger animal than itself ; 

 but it is so rarely attacked that this fact seems to have 

 escaped observers. I cannot find a single reference to the 

 pluck of the skunk in any work on natural history within 

 my reach ; on the contrary, it seems to be the opinion 

 that it is a mean and cowardly creature, dependent on its 

 abominable habit for safety. This is quite wrong. It is 

 quite as plucky as an average dog ; and is, moreover, a 

 cleanly animal. It is quite as easy to tame a skunk as a 

 badger, and if taken when young it can be taught to 

 follow its master like a dog ; but nothing will cure it of 

 offending, from time to time, with its abominable nuisance. 



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