356 

 SOMERSET COUNTY. 



E. B. HOSTETTER, Kingswood: 



The Skunk is a very injurious animal, will kill all the feath- 

 ered fowls, such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, etc. 



JEREMIAH PHILLIPS, Garrett: 



Skunks suck eggs and sometimes catch chickens and ducks, 

 but not often. 



DR. H. D. MOORE, New Lexington: 



Skunks. Both beneficial and injurious, but I believe the in- 

 jury outweighs the benefit. If there were not any ground-nest- 

 ing birds or fowls, I have no douibt he would make a good liv- 

 ing on grubs, bugs, etc. I have a very poor opinion of the 

 Skunk. He is entirely too familiar; when he goes on a visit 

 he is liable to stay a whole week, and if you disturb him the 

 whole neighborhood finds it out and everybody is down on him 

 and every effort is made to desti'oy him, bounty or no bounty. 

 Allow me to digress a little from your question and say that I 

 haven't the least idea in the world what the Skunk was created 

 for. He doesn't seem to have any sense at all. I never knew 

 one to turn short around and start for home; if he didn't find a 

 barn, or log, or the fence around a ten acre field to turn him 

 he would go on and on forever. I have met him at all hours 

 of the night, on the road, on the walks all around my house, 

 office and stable, and he always has the right of way. Coming 

 home late at night I have found him in possession of the prem- 

 ises. By maneuvering around and calling to my wife to hand 

 the shot gun out of the back window, I have been able to con- 

 vince him that he had been jumping my claim. 



JOSIAH PILE, New Lexington: 



Skunks are injurious, they will come to the farmers' barn at 

 night and if there are any young chickens about the barn that 

 are not shut up he is sure to get them; it matters not how 

 many young chickens are there he generally takes them all; 

 it is no mystery when the farmer gets to his barn in the morn- 

 ing and finds them all gone what has taken them — the smell 

 tells the story. I cannot see in what way they are a benefit. 



