362 



RECREATION. 



able that it was adopted. March 20th, '94, 

 the dens were opened and the females 

 segregated in a spacious enclosure spe- 

 cially prepared for them. 



In due time the young were born. Then 

 the females ate one another's children. 

 One had been placed by herself and she 

 brought forth 9 young, which she success- 

 fully reared. We figured, however, that it 

 cost us $30 to raise that brood. 



Skunks are born with closed eyes, which 

 do not open till 21 days after birth. The 

 epidermis at birth is white or black, plain- 

 ly indicating the color which maturity will 

 bring. Emasculation was practiced on a 

 sufficient number of young males to prove 

 that the eunuch becomes *4 to 1-3 larger 

 than the natural male. They were fatter, 

 sleeker and carried the finest fur we had 

 ever seen on a skunk. The removal of 

 the scent sack did not appreciably affect 

 the growth of the animal, but seemed fatal 

 to many, and beyond a doubt affected un- 

 favorably the general appearance, the fur- 

 ring, and, consequently, the value; thus 

 proving that gland a necessary part of the 

 animal's anatomy. 



During the winter, when the mercury 

 falls to 22 to 24 degrees the skunk lies in 

 a torpid state, in a burrow below the frost 

 line, several usually inhabiting the same 

 burrow. At zero they quickly freeze to 

 death. 



We never knew oi*e to use his scent 



except in self defense. When 2 of them 

 fight the battle is on the General De Wet 

 plan, a rear action, and the location of the 

 "battlefield can be determined by the di- 

 rection of the wind. 



The following illustrates the maternal 

 instinct and intelligence of this little ani- 

 mal. One night I bought a female and 

 her 7 babies, 2 or 3 weeks old, and en- 

 closed them in a wooden box. In the 

 morning they were gone. The mother 

 had gnawed through the corner of her 

 prison. Knowing that the young, unable 

 to walk, had been carried by their mother, 

 I called a dog trained to trail them, which 

 at once led off, I following closely. A 

 mile away the mother was located in a 

 burrow. My men dug and there we found 

 her with her 7 children. By noting her 

 tracks across a freshly harrowed field we 

 discovered that she had made 4 trips, bear- 

 ing, necessarily, 2 each trip except once, 

 when she took but one, making 9 miles 

 in all. 



To return to my original theme: After 

 an expenditure of $25,000, and a thorough 

 system of experimentation, we demon- 

 strated that skunks can not be propagated 

 with success in captivity unless each fe- 

 male be provided separate quarters dur- 

 ing the period of gestation, which would 

 involve more expense than the value of the 

 animal and its progeny would justify. 



HUNTER JOHN AND HOUND-PUP JIM. 



F. C. COWPER. 



Oh ! but he loved his dog ! 



Oh ! but his dog loved him ! 

 Whither went hunter John, 



Thither went hound-pup Jim. 



Up the steep mountain side, 

 Off and away they went,. 



John, and Jim, and a gun, 



Till daylight long was spent. 



They loved the free, keen air, 

 They loved the rabbit's track, 



They loved the smoking pot 

 And hearty welcome back. 



They loved their friends so true, 

 They loved the night's sweet rest 



But know we all right well. 

 They loved each other best. 



So here's to hunter John ! 



And here's to hound-pup Jim ! 

 And here's to all and each 



Whose chums so stick by him ! 



