CHAP. VIII THE SKUNK, CALMLY CONSIDERED 21/ 



raising one of its hind legs. Its aim is taken with 

 the utmost accuracy, and it can repeat the dis- 

 charge several times, having a magazine gun at 

 command. A simple surgical operation, if made 

 by intelligent hands, will extract these glands, or 

 cut the duct leading from the capsule to the nipple- 

 like orifice, after which the animal is powerless for 

 harm, — a precaution highly judicious in the case 

 of a domesticated example of this species, if one 

 values his peace of mind ! 



Having thus rendered our subject innocuous, we 

 may now proceed to study him, for he is one of the 

 prettiest and most interesting of all our wild ani- 

 mals. 



The skunk is about the size of a cat, but has 

 more nearly the shape of a raccoon, being taller 

 behind than about the fore quarters, and with a 

 pointed, somewhat pig-like snout ; this form, and 

 his plantigrade feet, account for that mincing gait 

 characteristic of him. His fur is long, thick, and 

 glossy black variegated with pure white. The 

 white runs in a narrow stripe up the nose, expands 

 behind the ears into a saddle-like patch on the 

 nape of the neck, then narrows backward over the 

 shoulder, and there divides, a stripe curving back- 

 ward and downward on each side, leaving an in- 

 tensely black, wedge-shaped tract between them, 

 continued over the upper surface of the bushy 

 tail. The under surface and tip of the tail are also 

 white. This is the common Northern kind. His 



