he acquires the evil habits of robbing the hen-roost. Still, as a 

 rule, Skunks are not addicted to this vice, and it is with them 

 very much as it is with dogs and cats; for every now and then 

 a dog will get into the habit of killing sheep, and a cat of kill- 

 ing chickens and sucking eggs, and yet we do not wage a war- 

 fare of extermination against them, collectively, on account 

 of the sins of a few of their number. 



"He is of the greatest practical value to the hop-grower, 

 for he frequents the hop-yard with great regularity, and greed- 

 ily devours the insect pests that, from their numbers and de- 

 structiveness, always injure, and sometimes ruin the crop. * 



* * Indeed, the benefit that accrues to the farmer from the 

 occupancy of his premises by a family of these useful animals 

 can hardly be over-estimated. They are large eaters and sub- 

 sist almost exclusively upon his greatest enemies, mice and in- 

 sects. 



"Of the truth of this assertion he may easily convince him- 

 self by merely taking the trouble to examine any bit of 'Skunk 

 Sign' that he happens to come across; for in the summer sea- 

 son, their dejections consist wholly of the indigestible chit<^nous 

 coverings of beetles, grasshoppers and other insects.*" 



These statements from the fac-ile pen of the genial 

 and able Merriam, togetlier with such information as 

 any one can readily gain by devoting a little study to 

 the Skunk in his native haunts should cause the 

 thoughtful farmer's boy to hesitate before destroy- 

 ing every Skunk and its family which he may cora<> 

 across. 



SOMETIMES DISTRESSES OTHER NIGHT TRAVELERS. 



Of course we know it's very trying on a "fellow's 

 f el ins"' when he goes out, "as the shades of night are 

 falling," in a nice clean buggy drawn by a well ke]>t 

 trotter, to run over a clumsy pro-wling Skunk when he 

 is hurrying to sei' his best girl; but always bear in 

 mind it might have been much worse if that best girl 



♦The vertebrates of the Adirondack region. N. E. New York, 

 Dec. 1883. 



