1908.] 



IN THE MUSTELINE CARNIVORA. 



947 



but I have seen a Cape Polecat behave in the way described 

 above at the sight of a small dog, uttering the while shrill squeals- 

 of anger. Both Skunks and Cape Polecats are said to feed natur- 

 ally upon any small terrestrial vertebrates they can catch, and 

 also upon insects. Merriam indeed describes the JSTorth- American 

 Skunk as preeminently an insect-eater, adding that it " destroys, 

 more beetles, grasshoppers, and the like, than all our other 

 mammals together," also " he devours vast numbers of mice."' 

 But those that have come under my observation in the Zoological 

 Gardens will eat fruits like bananas and dates. Hence they are 

 in all probability omnivorous in their native haunts ; and are, 

 therefore, not dependent for food upon the live things they 

 capture. 



Text-fig. 193. 



Cape Zorilla {Ictonyx capejisis), left-hand figure, and Cape Weasel {Poecilogale 

 alhinuclia), viglit-hand figure. 



I have been able to demonstrate experimentally and to my 

 complete satisfaction, that the white on Skunks and Zorillas. 

 makes them conspicuous at night, whether it be cloudy or star- 

 lit, against the dark background of the soil or of low herbage. 

 I made the experiment with three stuffed skins, one of the 

 Canadian Skunk {Mephitis mejihitica), one of the Cape Zorilla 

 {Ictonyx capensis), and one of the Libyan Zorilla {Ictonyx 

 libyca). The Skunk was not a good specimen, having died in bad 

 coat with short hair, yet I could see it at a distance of 15 feet. 

 The others were easily visible at twice that distance *, the 

 Libyan Zorilla being more visible than the Cape specimen on 

 account of the greater amount of white on its dorsal area. The 

 conspiciiousness of all three was enhanced when they were 

 made to move. On the other hand, when put upon the snow 



* They would clearly be visible at a much greater distance to. Carnivora with 

 nocturnal vision. 



