THE SKUNK 



T is in the rural districts throughout the 

 greater part of North America that the 

 skunk is best known ; but being a wanderer 

 of the night, he is not so familiar a sight as is the 

 squirrel or the woodchuck. In respect to his nocturnal 

 habits he holds the same relation to the mammals 

 that the hawks and owls do to the birds. 



He is known in different localities by various 

 names, such as polecat, essence-pedlar, and wood-pussy. 

 " Wood-pussy" is pretty and probably derives its origin 

 from the fact that after twilight the skunk may be 

 easily mistaken by the uninitiated for a cat. The 

 skunk is about the size of the cat, with long fur and 

 a very bushy tail, the prevailing color being black and 

 white. The black fur is the more valuable, but the 

 coloring of fur is now so largely practised that it 

 matters little how much white there is, for the skins 

 all go through a dark dye to make them uniform in 

 color. After dyeing, cutting, and making, few sus- 

 pect that the fashionable "Alaska Sable" furs of the 



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