44 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



wins. When a skunk goes into reverse thus 

 runs the world away. 



The desert skunks that I saw were mighty 

 hunters. Two were even willing to pose for a 

 picture by their kills : one had a five-foot rattle- 

 snake; the other a desert rat. There may be 

 hydrophobia skunks, but I have not seen them 

 nor their victims wasting their lives on the des- 

 ert bare. 



Skunk character and habits evidently changed 

 as the skunk evolved his defensive odour to a 

 state of effectiveness. He now is slow and dull 

 witted. Formerly he probably was mentally alert 

 and physically efficient. His relatives the mink, 

 weasel, and otter are of extraordinary powers. 

 While all these have an obnoxious odour, the 

 mink especially, the skunk is the only one who 

 has made it a far-reaching means of defense. 



Skunks appear to be of Asiatic origin. They 

 may have come into America across the Siberia- 

 Alaska land bridge a million or so years ago. 

 Fossil skunks ages old are found in fossil de- 

 posits in the Western states. 



" Hurry," called a trapper with whom I was 

 camping, as he dashed up, seized his tent-fly, 

 and disappeared behind a clump of trees. As it 

 was a perfectly clear evening, this grabbing of 

 a tent-fly and frantically rushing off suggested 

 the possibility of his running amuck. But I 



