THE SKUNK. 39 



the few that linger in a thickly-settled locality. But of 

 this hereafter. 



In his notes on the skunk, written in 1748, Kalm 

 makes one statement concerning them which is of consid- 

 erable interest, if it be not an error. I refer to their 

 ability to climb trees. He says : " It keeps its young 

 one in holes in the ground and in hollow trees ; for it 

 does not confine itself to the ground, but climbs up trees 

 with the greatest agility ; it is a great enemy to birds, 

 for it breaks their eggs and devours their young ones." 



Now, Dr. Coues, recently, writing of these animals, 

 remarks that they " neither climb trees nor swim in the 

 water " ; and again, he describes them as lacking " the 

 scansorial ability of the martens." I can not speak of 

 the skunks of 1748, but I am very sure that I have never 

 seen one climbing a tree, or even resting among its 

 branches ; but that they have a trace of " scansorial abil- 

 ity" I can testify, for I have several times witnessed 

 their walking once running on the top rail of a worm 

 fence, and certainly this feat requires an amount of agil- 

 ity that would, I think, enable the animal to do a little 

 climbing if the trunks of the trees were not perpendicu- 

 lar. Still, I have a Skye terrier that likewise runs on the 

 top rail of fences with perfect ease, and yet he can not 

 climb a tree. The difference between the two animals is 

 to be found in the fact that the skunk climbs to the top of 

 the fence, while the terrier jumps on it. But then comes 

 the question, How does the skunk get into hay-mows if 

 he can not climb ? Surely he never would allow himself 

 to be pitched in with the hay, in July, and be content to 

 remain there quietly until winter, without giving the un- 

 lucky farmer cause to think that " somewhere near there 

 be a pesky skoonk," as was once said to me. 



But if not a good climber, or not a climber at all, the 



