SKUNKS. 77 
/ 
Owing to its fearless and unsuspicious nature, the North-American skunk may 
be taken in almost any kind of trap; and these animals are often a considerable 
annoyance to the trapper owing to their habit of frequently entering the snares 
set for more valuable quarry. The skunk, observes Dr. Merriam, is slow in 
movement and deliberate in action, and does not often hurry himself in whatever 
he does. His ordinary gait is a measured walk, but when pressed for time he 
breaks into a slow, shuffling gallop. It is hard to intimidate a skunk, but when 
once really frightened he manages to get over the ground at a very fair pace. 
The same writer further observes that in the Adirondack region skunks 
remain active during the greater part of the year, and hibernate only during the 
severest part of the winter. “They differ from most of our hibernating mammals 
in that the inactive period is, apparently, dependent solely upon the temperature. 
That the amount of snow has no influence upon their movements is evident from 
the fact that they are frequently out, in numbers, when its average depth exceeds 
five feet on the level. Neither can it be a difference in food-supply that affects them, 
for at this season they subsist almost entirely upon mice and shrews, and I have 
repeatedly noticed these little beasts scampering about on the crisp snow when the 
thermometer indicated a temperature below 20° F.” In the more southern 
districts of North America skunks doubtless remain active throughout the year, 
and the same is probably the case with those inhabiting Central and South 
America. 
The nests of these animals are formed either in holes in the ground, in hollow 
trunks of trees, or among rocks; and in the North-American species the number in 
a litter is usually from six to ten. The young are born in the spring, and generally 
remain with their parents as inhabitants of the same hole till the following spring, 
when they have to make way for a fresh family. Dr. Merriam states that if a 
trap be set at the entrance of one of these holes the whole family may commonly 
be captured, at the rate of one per night. Surprising as it may at first sight 
appear, the common skunk, especially when captured young, is said to make a 
pretty and agreeable pet, gentle in manners, and cleanly in habits; while the 
beauty of its fur makes its personal appearance highly attractive. Moreover, the 
flesh of these animals is said to be white, delicate, and highly palatable. 
The secretion that has given the skunk such an ill name is contained in a 
pair of glands situated beneath the tail, and can be ejected at the will of the 
animal; such ejection taking place only when the creature is attacked or irritated. 
So forcibly can the fluid (which is of an amber colour) be ejected, that it will 
carry from a distance of 13 feet to a little over 16 feet. It appears that there 
is a marked difference in the intensity of the odour of the secretion in different 
individuals of the common skunk, which is probably in part due to the age of the 
animal, and in part to the length of time which has elapsed since the preceding 
discharge took place. When freshly ejected, the fumes from the secretion are 
pungent and acrid in the extreme, and are probably capable of producing extensive 
swelling of the respiratory passages. Dr. Merriam states that “when inhaled 
without the admixture of a large amount of atmospheric air the unhappy victim 
loses consciousness and breathes stertorously, the temperature falls, and the pulse 
slackens, and if the inhalation were prolonged the results would doubtless prove 
