1936] MAMMALS OF OREGON 309 



logs, but their winter homes are generally deep under ground. They 

 are mainly nocturnal but are not infrequently seen abroad in the early 

 evening, hunting for grasshoppers, or in the morning hours, racking 

 along with a sideways gait toward home. Their best speed is but a 

 sorry pace for escaping danger, and if pursued, they quickly face 

 about with threatening attitude, knowing well their powers of defense. 



On such occasions, with tail erect and black and white plume strik- 

 ingly spread, the skunks make little runs at the enemy, which 

 generally keeps beyond the enchanted circle, but if not, jets of 

 amber liquid are thrown with surprising accuracy to a distance of 

 10 or 15, or possibly 20 feet, filling the air with the most stifling 

 odor. An experienced hunting dog will usually keep beyond the 

 danger limit and merely bark at a skunk, but one without experience 

 or with a reckless disposition often rushes in and grabs the skunk, 

 usually by the wrong end, and shakes the life out of it, greatly to 

 his own and his master's sorrow. Often the dog becomes violently 

 sick and loses his supper and would like to die, but cannot. If 

 water is near he will plunge in and wash his mouth and his fuming 

 coat, but to little purpose. If there is no water he will chew up 

 the ground and leaves and roll and wallow in the grass or sand, 

 but with little relief or improvement of his condition. Many a 

 dog, however, never gets nearer than the first barrage, and the skunk 

 safely reaches home before the enemy recovers from its surprise 

 and discomfort. Under similar circumstances men, bears, mountain 

 lions, and railroad trains are treated like dogs, with a full discharge 

 of the weapons of skunkly warfare, and with varying but rarely 

 enjoyable results. 



The skunk's weapon is the simplest of squirt guns, two glandular 

 sacs at the sides of the anus, surrounded by a broad band of muscle 

 which, contracted, forces the yellow fluid secreted by the gland 

 through two nipplelike ducts in a straight line with considerable 

 force. The strange part of it is that from the rear the skunk can 

 aim and shoot with such precision. With a quick twist of the body 

 it will fire over one shoulder or the other at an enemy directly in 

 front or aim at an object at one side or the other, or in the rear, 

 or even directly above, and generally with astonishing accuracy. 

 The only really safe place is beyond the animal's range. 



However, the skunk is naturally a gentle, timid animal, fairly 

 intelligent, and if met halfway in gentleness and wisdom, will prove 

 harmless and exceedingly interesting. By moving slowly and talking 

 softly to one, it is generally possible for a person to enter the charmed 

 circle without unpleasantness. It is quite possible for one to coax 

 a skunk into a box, a joint of stovepipe, a tile, or any dark retreat, 

 cover the openings, pour in an ounce of ether, and after a few min- 

 utes take the animal out and handle it safely as long as it is under 

 the anesthetic. If the skunk is placed in a good lignt and allowed 

 to revive without being excited, 1 or 2 good photographs can usually 

 be obtained. If kept in captivity, the animals become gentle and 

 make good pets, even without the removal of the scent glands. 



Breeding habits. The female skunks of this group have normally 

 5 or 6 pairs of mammae 2 inguinal, 2 abdominal, and 1 or 2 pec- 

 toral arranged in two parallel rows the whole length of the belly. 

 The young 6, 8, 10, or possibly a dozen in a litter are born in 



