44 The Skunk 



to place, they form a line from fifteen to thirty feet 

 long, with the mother in the lead. When a capture 

 is contemplated, the would-be captor takes his place 

 behind the line, and noiselessly approaching the 

 rear skunk, with a quick movement he lifts it from 

 the ground by the tail. This is a nervous moment 

 for the novice, but entirely safe, for when a skunk 

 is thus lifted from the ground, the power of spraying 

 the essence is apparently lost. After the youngster 

 is captured and put in a safe place, the operation is 

 repeated until all the young are taken, the mother 

 continuing on her way, apparently as unconcerned as 

 though she had not lost her family. 



It takes a very steady nerve to approach an old 

 skunk and lift it by the tail, and, although I have 

 heard of several instances, I have but once actually 

 seen the feat. This occurred when I was a small 

 boy, in a village where I had gone to get a horse 

 shod. The blacksmith's house and shop stood near 

 each other, and the side door of the shop opened 

 opposite to the outside door of the old-fashioned 

 basement of the house. As it was nearing the noon 

 hour the good wife went to the basement for some 

 potatoes, but scarcely had she entered, when she 

 saw a black and white object in the middle of the 

 floor. The light being dim, its outline was at first 



