190 Carnivora Fissipedia. 



ward instead of laterally. It has only thirty-two teeth, 

 extremely small ears, and a shorter tail than the othei' 

 species. The body is from eighteen to twenty-four inches 

 long, and generally marked on the back with two very 

 wide white stripes; the under part is always black, and 

 the tail is white and black. Its range is from Patagonia 

 and Chili, through Central America, as far north as 

 Texas. 



In Nicaraugua the Skvmk goes along at night with its 

 tail up as a danger signal. Naturalists claim that the 

 conspicuous markings of the Skunk are ' ' warning colors 

 that are a benefit to the species as well as its enemies, as 

 many a time a man -who would hesitate a long time be- 

 fore hunting a Skunk, would take a shot at an animal of 

 whose identity he was not certain. 



The gait of the Skunk is a measured walk, but it can 

 shuffle along at a pretty good speed if necessary. A 

 peculiarity of this animal is its indifference to the presence 

 of man, which is evidenced by its being so often run over 

 by vehicles. 



POLECATS. 



Polecats are the most sanguinary of all the Weasel 

 tribe. They are larger and more powerful than the 

 Skunks and Weasels, but as a rule are smaller in size 

 and have shorter legs than the Martens. They were 

 formerly known as Foulmart (Foul-Marten) because of 

 their fetid smell, due to a secretion carried by these ani- 

 mals in small glands. They are the terror of poultry 

 yards and warrens, for while they are less active than the 

 Martens, they not only work havoc with the rabbits, poul- 

 try, birds and small rodents, but also destroy the eggs and 

 young of their prey in their burrows and nests. The 

 lower carnivorous tooth of the Polecat has no inner 

 tubercle, and the superior tuberculous one is more broad 

 than long; there are two false molars above and three 

 below; they can also be distinguished from the Weasels 

 and the other Martens by the absence of the first pair 

 of molars in both jaws. 



