32 



OEDEKS OP MAMMALS— FLESH EATERS 



enemies, is contained in two glands situated near 

 the base of the tail, and can be thrown several 

 feet. Its odor is so offensive and so stifling 

 that neither man nor beast can long endure it. 



The Skunk is a bold marauder, and destruc- 

 tive to poultry, but nevertheless of value as a 

 destroyer of white grubs and other noxious in- 

 sects. Owing to the disappearance of the otter, 

 beaver, mink and marten, the fur of the Skunk 

 has become valuable, and is now very exten- 

 sively used, the white portions being first dyed 

 black. 



The Little Spotted Skunks l are found chiefly 

 in our southern states, and can immediately be 

 recognized by the alternating bands of black 

 and white which extend lengthwise along 

 the body. Of these there are about a dozen 

 species, but some of them are very much alike. 

 They range from the Gulf coast north to West 

 Virginia and Kansas, but on the Pacific slope 

 they are found in Washington, Oregon, Cali- 

 fornia and Utah. 



The Badger Skunks 2 resemble the common 

 Skunks in size, but may be readily distinguished 

 by the broad white stripe on the back, and the 

 powerful claws on the fore feet. As indicated 

 by their name, they are more badger-like than 



THE BADGER. 



the other skunks, and are expert diggers. They 

 are the only skunks which occur in South Amer- 

 ica, and their range extends from the Straits 

 of Magellan northward along the west coast, 

 through Central America and Mexico into south- 

 ern Texas and Arizona. 



The Badger is an animal of strange form, its 

 body being very broad and flat, and its legs very 

 1 Spi'lo-gale. 2 Co-ne-pa'tus. 



short. In size it stands midway between the- 

 common skunk and the wolverine. It has a sav- 

 age and sullen disposition, and as a pet is one of 

 the worst imaginable. It lives in burrows, and 

 feeds on ground squirrels, prairie-"dogs," and 

 ground game of every description. Often Bad- 

 gers will be found living in deserts where it would 

 seem an impossibility for any carnivorous animal 

 to find a supply of food. Its home is the Great 

 Plains, the Rocky Mountains and westward there- 

 of to the Pacific coast, from Mexico to Manitoba 

 and Alaska. 



THE BEAR FAMILY. 



Ursidae. 



That nearly all young people, the whole world 

 over, are greatly interested in bears, is no cause 

 for wonder. Under proper conditions, young 

 bears are the most merry-hearted wild animals 

 that come into captivity, not even excepting 

 monkeys, and in some respects the most inter- 

 esting. Of all wild animals kept in zoological 

 parks, there are none that more fully repay the 

 care bestowed upon them, and excepting apes 

 and monkeys, none that furnish more amusement. 

 With plenty of sun-lit space in which to romp 

 and play, good bathing pools, and no stone 

 walls to depress their spirits, if not fed by vis- 

 itors, bears are more playful and mirth-pro- 

 voking than most monkeys. If immured in 

 gloomy "bear-pits," or confined in small cages, 

 their spirits are correspondingly depressed. 

 They are then like unhappy prisoners, rather 

 than care-free wild creatures. If tantalized 

 with bits of food, they quarrel and fight, and their 

 tempers become savage and dangerous. 



Contrary to general belief, a bear is naturally 

 cheerful and good-tempered. Elk, deer, buffalo, 

 elephants and large cats often attack their keep- 

 ers, but bears that have been properly reared 

 in captivity seldom do so. 



The bear dens of the New York Zoological 

 Park, contained (in 1903) thirty-four bears, 

 of eleven different species, living in peace and 

 harmony, in nine paved yards. Fully one-half 

 of their waking hours are spent in romping, 

 wrestling, boxing and swimming, and ill-temper 

 is rarely shown. The keepers go amongst these 

 bears with only brooms for defence, and the great 

 brutes are hustled about and driven to and fro 





