THE SKUNK. 107 



As has generally been supposed, these animals are 

 not entirely vegetable feeders, for, whenever it can 

 be procured, they show a marked preference for 

 animal diet, such as wild ducks' eggs and fresh- 

 water mussels. They are slaughtered in immense 

 quantities for their fur, which is much sought after, 

 autumn and winter being the seasons chosen for 

 their capture. Still there does not appear to be 

 any visible diminution in their numbers, even within 

 the limits of civilised communities. 



From the constant industry of musk-rats, and 

 their knowing and sagacious ways, they have ever 

 been favourites with me ; and although I know them 

 to be guilty of certain tricks, like other vermin, 

 still I should much like to see them introduced into 

 England. About the size of a half-grown domestic 

 cat, rather lighter in colour than our common brown 

 rat, they are in all respects like the beaver ; with 

 this one noticeable exception, that their tail is flat 

 perpendicularly, the beaver's horizontally. 



About ten hours before sunset I turned my face 

 homewards. My bag of game was so heavy that I 

 had to leave the greater part of its contents till I 

 returned with a horse, which I did about an hour 

 afterwards. I was then none too soon, for short 

 as my absence had been, it was long enough to 

 enable a skunk (Mephitis) to discover its where- 

 abouts. However, I succeeded in driving the ruffian 

 off no easy matter, nor altogether without danger. 



This animal is about the length of a mature 



