56 MAMMALS 



door run is planned, the wire should be sunk in the ground, 

 either carried entirely over the top or an overhang ar- 

 ranged. If a dead tree or branch can be included, the cap- 

 tive will spend much of the daylight hours curled up in 

 sleep among the limbs. 



The raccoon in captivity eats meat, fish, bread and vari- 

 ous vegetables, which should not be excessive in quantity. 

 Plenty of clean water should always be available, for the 

 creature has a curious habit of washing all of its food be- 

 fore eating. 



The Raccoon (Procyon lotor) belongs to the family 

 Procyonid^e, and is closely allied to the bears. The hind 

 feet are of the type known as plantigrade, since the entire 

 foot, and not merely the toes, is used in walking, as in the 

 bears. The typical species ranges over the eastern United 

 States, as far west as Arizona and Montana. 



The Skunk 



Like the fox, the skunk is now being bred in some num- 

 bers for its fur. The experimental stage, however, has still 

 to be passed, and skunk farmers do not appear to have ob- 

 tained the success of fox breeders. Although generally 

 held in bad repute because of the undoubted efficiency of the 

 liquid musk secreted by glands near the tail, the skunk 

 nevertheless makes an interesting pet. Young individuals 

 become very tame and docile, and seldom make use of their 

 natural defense. It is always safest, however, to render the 

 apparatus innocuous by cutting the ducts of the glands, thus 

 making their discharge impossible. 



Skunks are not great climbers, but are powerful diggers ; 

 so if they are kept in an open enclosure, the fence must be 

 run well into the ground, with an inward turn at the bot- 

 tom. The wire must be strong and the mesh small. The 



