188 CARNIVORA FISSIPEDIA. 



agreeable pets, gentle in manner, and cleanly in habits. 

 They feed on insects, birds, eggs, frogs, mice and rab- 

 bits, sometimes even leaves and berries. Several families 

 of Skunks will live in one burrow. 



It is hard to intimidate a 'Skunk as besides being of a 

 fearless and unsuspicious nature, it seems to be conscious 

 of the power it possesses of putting all enemies to rout 

 with the nauseous artillery which it can at all times 

 bring to bear on the object of its wrath. This secretion, 

 with its penetrating, lasting, never-to-be-forgotten odor, 

 is contained in a pair of glands located under the tail; 

 and can be ejected at the will of the animal with such 

 force that the fluid will carry from thirteen to sixteen 

 feet, as many unfortunate victims can testify. Strange 

 as it may seem the flesh is said to be white, tender and 

 highly palatable. Skunks are caught in traps. The finest 

 skins come from Ohio, and the country east of that state. 

 Western and southern skins are coarser and not so full 

 furred. Skunk farming is carried on successfully in dif- 

 ferent sections of the country. 



Whatever we may think of the Skunk otherwise, its 

 fur is certainly worthy of the high regard in which it is 

 held by the public. Many wearers of "Alaska Sable" 

 and " Black Marten" furs, have no suspicion that their 

 beautiful muffs and neck pieces are made of Skunk 

 skins, for when properly dressed and cured the skins 

 soon lose the objectionable odor, which has made the 

 useful and handsome Skunk famous or infamous. 



The natural black skins are the most valuable, and 

 where the W 7 hite stripes are not too large they are cut 

 out by the furriers, so the balance of the skin can be 

 used in its natural color, which is a brownish black on 

 top, and deep grey at the roots. The white skins, and 

 those in which the stripes are too prominent, are dyed 

 either a jet black, or as near as possible to the natural 

 color of the skin. Some dyers are very successful in 

 imitating this shade, but when the natural and dyed 

 skins are placed side by side it is easy to see that man 

 at his best is only a poor imitator of natural products. 



The Lesser Skunk (Mephitis-putorius). sometimes re- 

 ferred to as the Little Striped Skunk, and for some 



