360 BRANCH CHORDATA 



Canadian provinces, in a few localities in the Rocky Mountain region, and 

 from British Columbia to central Alaska." The home for the rearing of the 

 two young is a burrow in the bank of a stream. The sea otter (Latax lutris) 

 feeds largely on sea-urchins and shell-fish, and its molars are flattened and 

 the tubercles very blunt, for crushing the shells. This animal has been so 

 much hunted for its exceedingly valuable fur that it has changed its habit 

 of feeding upon the shore to hunting in the deeper waters, and makes its 

 bed on floating masses of kelp. It is rare except in Alaska, and is one of the 

 wildest and wariest of animals. At present the otters are among the most 

 valuable of all fur-bearing animals, a single skin of the sea otter having been 

 sold in London for £250, or about $1250. 



The badger (Meles) has naked soles and the claws of the fore feet are 

 much longer than those of the hind feet. The true badger of Europe and 

 eastward is nocturnal, omnivorous, and burrowing, loving the woods. 

 The South American badger resembles the European one, but is smaller. 

 Its three or four young are born naked. Its body, which is about 2 feet 

 long, is broad and flat, and its legs very short. It has a suHen, savage dis- 

 position. It feeds on ground squirrels and prairie-dogs. It ranges over the 

 Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and westward, and from Mexico to 

 Alaska. In the United States it is more or less active all winter, being able 

 to find food, but farther north it is forced to spend the severest portion of 

 the winter in semitorpidity. There are a number of species in Asia. The 

 Teledu {Myd'aus melictes), of Java and Sumatra, is said to rival the skunk in 

 the odor of its secretion. 



The skunks {Mephi'tis), of which there are nine species, are widely dis- 

 tributed in America. They are distinguished by their jet black color, 

 variously banded, with longitudinal bands or spots of pure white, making 

 them conspicuous. This is surely a fine example of warning colors, for both 

 man and beasts are well aware of the strong offensive odor of the anal se- 

 cretions which can be ejected for a distance of several feet. Despite this 

 efficient means of defense the skunk is sometimes devoured by the puma, 

 the harpy eagle, and the great horned owl. It is destructive of poultry, 

 but is a destroyer of myriads of noxious insects and mice. The fur is ex- 

 tensively used, first being dyed. 



The marten and weasel tribe is distinguished by a long slender body, 

 short legs, and cat paws. These small, agile creatures have valuable 

 fur. The group includes the Siberian sable, the North European marten, 

 and the Canadian pine marten. The marten is 18 inches long, with a rather 

 bushy tail of 7 or 8 inches. It is brown above, lighter below, and varies 

 according to the age, sex, and season. "The winter fur is thick, soft, 1§ 

 inches deep, of the richest hue, and has scattered through it coarse, black 

 hairs which the furrier pulls out." The six or eight young are born high up 

 in a hollow tree or in a rocky crevice. The Canadian marten is not a poultry 

 thief nor wanton murderer", but kills what it wants to eat of squirrels, hares, 

 and grouse, trailing them with the nose to the ground like a hound. Few 

 animals will oat the marten unless extremely hungry. 



The mink is small and of a chocolate or yellowish-brown color, with a 

 round hairy tail. It is scattered throughout North America along the banks 

 of streams. It feeds chiefly upon birds and is a "wanton murderer." The 

 black-footed ferret is nearly always found in the prairie-dog villages. The 

 English ferret is simply a domesticated variety of the polecat {Puto'ritis 

 fetidus) .1 



1 Beddard, p. 436. 



