WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



company, and Mr. Skunk, with his perfumery, would most 

 assuredly have been in imminent danger of being thrown 

 overboard, and probably been the innocent means of dis- 

 gusting some hungry shark. 



It may naturally be supposed that the skunks, which 

 have arrived safely after a long sea voyage, have been sub- 

 mitted to some kind of operation, and that the glands, by 

 which the foetid odour is secreted, have been removed, or, 

 more reasonably, that they have been subjected to some 

 wonderful and far-famed disinfectant ; in fact, that the art 

 of an American Rimmel had triumphed over nature ; but 

 such is not the case. 



An amusing incident occurred not long since to a dealer 

 in wild animals, who boasted that he had skunks that 

 " had been deprived of their unpleasant properties, and 

 thereby rendered clean and wholesome." However, to his 

 utter dismay, while exhibiting a tame and harmless skunk 

 to a customer, he accidentally held it within reach of a 

 mischievous monkey, which, grasping the tail of the skunk, 

 inflicted a sharp bite upon that sensitive appendage. At 

 this trying moment the poor skunk resented the insult 

 and injury in " true skunk fashion," and the result was 

 perfectly astounding to the monkey, to the dealer, and to 

 the would-be purchaser of the tame skunks ; had an ex- 

 plosion of gas or of gunpowder taken place the latter 

 would, in all probability, not have disappeared so com- 

 pletely, for upon the dealer looking round his customer 

 was nowhere to be seen, not even a vestige of him re- 

 mained to bear witness to the " 'orrible tail," and it may 

 not be out of place to mention that he never returned to 

 complete the purchase, or even to inquire after that " tail." 

 It is therefore advisable not to make too free or play too 

 roughly with your tame skunk, or, like the unlucky ape, 

 you are liable to be poisoned at any moment. 



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