192 



Bird-Nesting 



the long-eared owl, they are laid in March, while the snow is 

 on the ground. My next find was a nest of the golden-winged 

 woodpecker, in a rotten tree stump. The hole was eight feet 

 from the ground, and went down a foot, where the seven 

 pearly white eggs rested on rotten bits of soft wood. Before 

 the eggs are blown they have a salmon tint, caused by the 

 yolk showing through the eggs. After being blown they turn 

 into a pearly, glossy white. 



Two miles south of Stoney Mountain I saw a skunk in one 

 of the bluffs, but kept away from it. The skunk is a beauti- 

 ful little animal, about the size of a rabbit, with a large bushy 

 tail. The upper parts are white, with a black band down the 

 back, its legs and under parts are black, and the hair on the 



body is long. It is well known that when the skunk is shot 

 at and wounded it discharges a noisome fluid, and the stench 

 from it is exceedingly abominable. The place where a skunk 

 has been killed will retain the taint for some weeks afterwards ; 

 and should a dog get any of the fluid on its body, it is almost 

 impossible to rid it of the disagreeable odour. 



