1894.] MAMMALS OF UEUGUAy. 305 



they doubt it. On my making inquiries upon the point, the man 

 I was staying with at once told me that ridiog one dav up to one 

 of his puestos, he was in time to see the peon come out of the 

 rancho swinging a Skunk round his head ; it made no smell and 

 was dashed down on the ground and killed, inodorous. The 

 ykunk had got into the house in some way. I also heard that 

 the possibility of the thing was well known. Secondly, there was 

 brought to me the skin of a Skunk which was " tailed" bf a little 

 boy as it was busily digging roots — so said the boy's father on 

 my inquiring how it was caught ; and he intimated that it was not 

 by any means an unusual thing. Then one of the peons at the 

 estancia, finding a Skunk asleep under his catre " tailed " it out ; 

 but unfortunately I did not see him do it. But at last I did see 

 the operation. One of the peons found a Skunk one morning 

 behind some wood piled up at the side of the big galpon — with a 

 quick snatch he caught its tail and jerked it out. There he stood 

 for five minutes swinging it gently round and round, there being 

 no smell (beyond that which always clings about a Skunk). 

 Another man then gave it a tap on the head with a stick, and the 

 peon, thinking it was killed, threw it away. But no sooner was it 

 on the ground than it was on its feet : up went the danger signal, 

 and — well, we all had to clear out ! The beast ran off and got 

 into another galpon, where the dogs killed it ; the whole place 

 then smelt of Skunk, but until the beast touched the ground it 

 was innocuous and inodorous. 



It seems that the " scent "-gland cannot be opened unless the 

 tail is at a right angle, or something near it, with the line of 

 body ; and that therefore when held by the tail the weight of the 

 Skunk's body keeps the tail more or less in a line with it, and the 

 Skunk is unable to discharge its vile secretion. The actions of the 

 one mentioned above seem to prove this. To perform this opera- 

 tion it is of course necessary to catch the Skunk asleep, or other- 

 wise deeply occupied (digging roots for instance), and to run the 

 risk of its waking up or turning round and seeing you. I believe 

 I could have easily done it myself, as I have more than once seen 

 a Skunk lying curled up asleep in the daytime. Indeed, while 

 looking for a parrot I had shot among some bushes, I very nearly 

 stepped upon one which was curled up on the ground ; and there 

 it remained until (having picked up my bird) I put a revolver 

 bullet through its body. However, I never cared to risk the loss 

 of useful garments, it having been proved, I believe, that clothes 

 once luell dosed at close quarters may as well be burnt. 



The Skunk passes the daytime in sleep, when undisturbed. In 

 Soriano I used to find them laid up in holes under and clefts 

 in the granite boulder rocks, in deserted ant-nests, among paja 

 grass or in the crown of a big hassock of this, and in one or 

 two cases on the ground among bushes. In the latter case it lies 

 on its side curled round. When roused in a hole by a dog it 

 presents a rather diabolical appearance as it pops its little vicious 

 head out. Notv^'ithstanding demonstrations of this kind, I have 



