ill effects whatever. The recorded cases of skunk rabies are nearly all 

 from the plains region of the west (Kansas, Texas, and Arizona) ana 

 relate more to Mephitis than to Spilogale. The most plausible explanation 

 of these facts seems to be that at certain periods rabies may become locally 

 epidemic among dogs and wolves, and by them be communicated to 

 skunks." 



I recall a somewhat amusing incident in this connection. I was in 

 western Gunnison county on a surveying expedition, having a couple of 

 men along. A deer had been killed after arriving at camp and was hang- 

 ing up close to our beds. I slept with one of the men. Toward daylight 

 I was awakened by his making a sudden movement and exclaiming very 

 emphatically "Get out of here". I said, "What's the matter, Henry?" 

 Henry looked rather foolish, and said, "Oh, nothing." Next morning he 

 told me that a skunk had been poking about after scraps of meat, and he 

 was afraid it might bite him, so had thrown his hat at it. Fortunately 

 nothing disagreeable had happened, but I suggested he would better not 

 be so impulsive next time. 



Neither of the skunks has many enemies besides man, though the 

 Great Horned Owl does kill and eat them, thereby rendering its plumage 

 distinctly odoriferous. 



The stripes and spots on the small species make a decidedly effective 

 fur and it is in considerable demand. 



HOG-XOSED OR WHITE-BACKED SKUNK. 



While the manuscript of this bulletin was in course of preparation 

 Mr. C. E. Aiken of Colorado Springs called the writer's attention to a 

 skunk which had been brought to him for mounting. It was immediately 

 recognized as a Hog-nosed or White-backed Skunk, belonging to the genus 

 Conepatus, a Middle and South American group, ranging as far north as 

 Albuquerque, New Mexico; at least this was the northernmost record until 

 the above-mentioned specimen was secured on Little Fountain Creek, 

 southwest from Colorado Springs. The Biological Survey refers it pro- 

 visionally to Mearns' Skunk, Conepatus mesoleiious mearnsi. These ani- 

 mals are distinguished by having the nose prolonged into a naked, some- 

 what piglike snout, a single broad white stripe on back and tail, and very 

 long, strong claws on the fore feet. They subsist very largely on grubs 

 and insects which they dig from the ground with their claws or root up 

 with the nose. This sudden and unexpected discovery raises the question 

 whether this species has been hitherto overlooked, or whether one or more 

 individuals may have wandered north far from the usual range. I should 

 bo pleased to hear from anyone knowing of similar occurrences in Colo- 

 rado. 



BADGER. 



The Badger is a rather unnecessarily maligned animal. True, it does 

 dig big holes in the ground into which a horse may thrust a leg, giving its 

 lider a bad fall and possibly also breaking the leg in the hole, but the 

 chances are that the hole was dug in order to get a prairie dog for dinner, 

 so that the Badger had a really good excuse for digging. As a matter of 

 fact badgers are quite useful animals, destroying many prairie dogs, 

 ground squirrels and similar vermin. Their powerful forelegs and paws 

 armed with long stout claws are efficient tools for excavating, and the 

 flattened, compressible body is excellently adapted for underground work, 

 while the heavy coat of long, coarse hair protects the body from dirt and 

 dampness. Badgers range all over Colorado, living both on the plains and 

 in the mountains, even up to timberline. 



I once saw a badger traveling along after a couple of coyotes. A friend 



