inhabit parts of our Southwest and extend into Mexico. The 

 total population is somewhere in the millions. 



Back in the days when long-haired furs were in fashion, Maine 

 trappers used to harvest 100,000 or so skunks a season and ship 

 the pelts to Philadelphia, whence they'd go to Paris to appear 

 as "monkey" skins. Today the annual skunk-fur harvest in the 

 U. S. is around 330,000, with most of this take appearing in 

 our stores as fur garments under a variety of glamorous-sound- 

 ing names. 



The skunk and the rabbit have been so maligned in this 

 respect that Congress has at last come to their aid with a law. 

 Furriers will no longer be able to label skunk as "Alaska sable," 

 "genuine civet cat," or "black marten." However this affects 

 furriers, it seems certain there will be plenty of skunks around, 

 living the good life and trying to stay out of trouble. 



