34 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



A little girl came running toward a house 

 with her arms full of something and calling, 

 "See what cunning kittens I found." She leaped 

 merrily among the guests on the porch, let go 

 her apron, and out dropped half-a-dozen young 

 skunks. 



How many times can a skunk repeat ? How 

 many acid shots can a skunk throw at an an- 

 noyer or an enemy before he is through? was 

 one of my youthful interests in natural history. 



Eight times was, so everyone said, the re- 

 peating capacity of skunk fire. 



One morning while out with two other boys 

 and their dogs it fell to my lot to check up on 

 this. 



We came upon a skunk crossing an open 

 field. There was no cover, and in a short time 

 each of our three cur dogs had experienced 

 twice and ceased barking. Each of the boys 

 had been routed. All this time I had dodged 

 and danced about enjoying these exhibitions 

 and skunk demonstrations. 



While in action on the dogs and at the boys 

 he had an extraordinary field of range. From 

 one stand, apparently by moving his body, he 

 threw a chemical stream horizontal, then nearly 

 vertical, and then swept the side lines. Far 

 off a tiny solid stream hit in one spot; close up 

 it was a cloud of spray. 



