78 FLESH-EATERS 



the tail, and can be thrown several feet. Its odor is so offen- 

 sive and so stifling that neither man nor beast can long en- 

 dure it. 



The Skunk is a bold marauder, and destructive to poultry, 

 but nevertheless of value as a destroyer of white grubs and 

 other noxious insects. Owing to the disappearance of the 

 otter, beaver, mink, and marten, the fur of the Skunk has 

 become valuable, and is now very extensively used, the white 

 portions being first dyed black. Its durability is 70 per cent. 

 The best skins are worth $6.00 each. 



The Little Spotted Skunks 1 are found chiefly in our 

 southern states, and can immediately be recognized by the 

 alternating bands of black and white which extend length- 

 wise along the body. Of these there are about a dozen 

 species, but some of them are very much alike. They range 

 from the Gulf coast north to West Virginia and Kansas, but 

 on the Pacific slope they are found in Washington, Oregon, 

 California, and Utah. 



Skunk Farming. — Skunks can be bred and reared in cap- 

 tivity; and possibly skunk farming may some day become a 

 paying industry, but it remains to be proven. The present 

 low value of skunk fur is against it. The annual catch of 

 wild skunks for North America is figured at the enormous 

 number of 1,500,000; which cannot long endure! When 

 skins double in value, skunk farming may prove profitable; 

 but, like all other fur farming, save in foxes, it is still in its 

 experimental stage. In the largest attempt yet made, a well- 

 organized company lost $25,000 in three years because skunks 



1 Spi'lo-gale. 



