THE NORTHWESTERN CIVET SKUNK, SPILOGALE PHE- 



NOX LATIFRONS. 



ALLAN BROOKS. 



This pretty and odoriferous little animal 

 is generally known by the names " pole 

 cat," or " civet cat " in the regions it in- 

 habits; and like its larger cousin enjoys 

 considerable notoriety on account of its 

 pungent and well known perfume. 



Skunks of this genus belong to the 

 Southern fauna and only encroach on the 

 Boreal regions along the Northwestern 

 coast, where, as Dr. Merriam points out, 

 the Sonoran and Boreal elements are curi- 

 ously mixed. 



it is almost as common as it is on the coast. 

 How far North its range extends I have 

 not yet ascertained, but from the high alti- 

 tude it reaches in the mountains it is clear 

 that it can stand a very low temperature. 



Civet skunks are active little beasts, quite 

 different from the slow moving prairie 

 skunks, and are generally found in the 

 heaviest timber, where they are a nuisance 

 to the marten trapper. They often take up 

 their abode about houses or outbuildings 

 and in my judgment, do far more good than 



NORTHWESTERN CIVET SKUNK, SPILOGALE LATIFRONS. 



The species under consideration belongs 

 to the same genus as the little striped skunk 

 figured in Recreation for July, '97; but is 

 a rather heavier built animal, though much 

 smaller and more graceful than the large 

 skunks of the genus Mephitis. In South- 

 ern British Columbia the Civets are con- 

 fined to the heavily timbered districts, as far 

 as my observations extend. I have never 

 been able to hear of this genus inhabiting 

 the semi-arid interior, but in the humid 

 and heavily timbered valley of the Columbia 



harm. They do not seem to bother poultry, 

 but destroy large quantities of mice, which 

 more than counterbalances the value of any 

 eggs they may steal. 



The markings of the civet skunk vary 

 widely in different individuals; some hav- 

 ing much more white than others, espe- 

 cially about the chin, which is sometimes 

 entirely black without any trace of a white 

 spot. 



After the first year the white markings 

 are strongly tinged with yellow. 



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