49 



1829. Mephitis chinche, Fisch., Syn., 1829, 160 (includes other species; 

 quotes Tiedemann primarily.) 



1842. Chincha americana, Less,, Nouv. Tabl. R. A., 1842, 67. 



1857. Mephitis mephiiica, Bd., M. N. A., 1857, 195.— Coop, and Suckl., N. 

 H. W. T., 1860, 94.— Hayd., Trans. Am. Philos. Soc, xii, 1862, 

 143.— Samuels, Ninth Ann. Rep. Mass. Agric. for 1861, 1862, 

 161.— Gerr., Cat. Bones Br. Mus., 1862, 97.— Allen, Bull. M. C. 

 Z., i, 1869, 178; ii, 1871, 169 (critical).— Allen, Pr.Bost. Soc, xiii, 

 1869, 183.— Gilpin, Proc. and Tr. N. Scotia Inst., ii, 1870, 60.— 

 Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr, for 1870, 1871, 461.— Parker, Am. 

 Nat., V, 1871, 246 (anat. of anal glands, etc.). — Allen, Bull. 

 Ess. Inst., vi, 1874, 46, 54, 69, 63.— Allen, Proc. Bost. Soc, xvii, 

 1874, p. 38.— Ames, Bull. Minn. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1874, 69.— Coues, 

 Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Surv. Terr., 2d ser., No. 1, 1875, 8 

 (skull and teeth). — Coues and Yarrow, Zool. Expl. W. lOOdth 

 Merid., v, 1875, 62.— Allen, Ball. U. S. Geol. Surv., vol. ii, No. 

 4, 1876, 322 (skull).— Coues, Hon. of Mus., 1877, 195. 



1744. Enfan du Diable, Charlev., N. Prance, v, 1744, 196. 



1772. Skunk, Forst., Phil. Trans., Ixii, 1772, 374.— Penn., Arct. Zool., i, 

 1784, 85, No. 33.— Hearne, Journ., — , 377. 

 Stinkthier, German. BSte puante, French. 



Description of External Features. — The Common Skunk is a heavily-built 

 animal, with short limbs, low ears, small head, and long and bushy tail. 

 The thick-set trunk is large behind, and the broad back naturally .curved. 

 The head is conoidal ; the eye small and nearer the nose than the ear ; 

 the naked nasal-pad is large and protuberant; the nostrils are lateral. 

 The bushy tail has no fine under fur ; the long, coarse, almost tow-like 

 hairs, when extended sideways, make the width of tail, in some speci- 

 mens, greater than the length. The feet expose large plantar and pal- 

 mar surfaces, usually naked, except that the soles are generally hairy 

 about a third of the way from the heel. The claws of the hind-feet are 

 stout and obtuse; they are covered with hairs; the middle three are 

 about equal in length ; the fifth is shorter, and the first does not reach 

 the base of second. The plantar-pads ^re imperfectly separated into 

 three, to which the terminal toe-balls at once 'succeed; the toes are very 

 short, and extensively united. 



The toes of the front feet are quite different. The third and fourth 



are sub-equal and longest ; the second a little shorter ; the fifth reaches 



scarcely half-way to the fourth, and the first not quite to the base of the 



second. The three middle claws are even longer than the digits that 



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