VIII THE SKUNK, CALMLY CONSIDERED 223 
picture illustrating, otherwise admirably, the biog- 
raphy of our subject in the ninth edition of the 
“Encyclopzedia Britannica,’ where two examples 
are shown in the tops of tall trees, is something 
to smile at. 
In the burrow or other den, where a large bed 
of grass and leaves is arranged, a litter of six to 
ten young ones is produced in summer. These 
remain in and about the underground premises 
until ‘the next season, and by the end of the winter 
most of them have grown to the same size and 
appearance as the old ones. It was probably 
the digging out of single large and well-grown 
families supposed to be collections of unrelated 
adult individuals, that give rise to the wrong state- 
ment found in many early writings that the species 
is gregarious. They seem to be more prolific than 
any other of the Mustelidz. 
Young skunks, when taken early, make pretty 
and interesting pets. This was learned from the 
Indians, and they have been tamed and enjoyed 
by many persons notwithstanding, as Godman puts 
it, that “such a pet requires very cautious manage- 
ment.” No one has had so much experience, or 
has so well recorded it, in this direction, as Dr. 
Merriam, whose home was formerly in the south- 
ern Adirondacks, where he made good use of 
many opportunities to study this creature. He 
declares that as pets skunks are attractive in ap- 
pearance, gentle, cleanly, playful, and sometimes 
