ABOUT A FEW COMMON MAMMALS. 

 JANUARY 



65. The Common Skunk. 



MATERIAL : Mounted specimen ; skin, picture, skull. 



The range of the common skunk extends from Hudson's 

 Bay to Mexico. Its color is quite variable, but is usually 

 black with a white patch on the nape, white stripes on the 

 back, and a white tip on the tail. The animal generally 

 moves about slowly, bears its bushy tail erect, and does not 

 try hard to run away from man unless very near to a place 

 of concealment. Compared with the slim, almost snake-like 

 body of minks and weasels, it reminds one of a small, fat 

 dog. Its whole length is about twenty-eight inches; the 

 tail measures nine inches. It is best recognized by its 

 horrible, mephitic odor. 



Habits and food. The feet of skunks are provided with 

 strong claws for digging. Their burrow extends in a straight 

 line for about seven feet and about two feet below the sur- 

 face. Then it ends in a large excavation. This is the hid- 

 ing-place of a skunk family, and here they remain inactive 

 during the winter. They do not lay in a store of provisions, 

 but are very fat in the fall, and to fast from December to 

 February or March seems an easy task for them. Like the 



Observations. Visit a zoological garden, if you live in a large city, 

 and learn to know the Virginia deer, the elk, the moose, the black bear, 

 the grizzly bear, the wolf, the coyote, the wild cat, the lynx, the puma, and 

 the buffalo, or bison. 



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