182 THE PEKAN, OR WOOD-SHOCK. 



shower of a substance so horribly odious, that not only may 

 we be blinded and sickened by the effluvium, but our clothes 

 will be made useless, from the difficulty of getting rid of the 

 odour. 



The creature is the skunk, and is about the size of a cat. 

 It possesses short round ears, black cheeks, and a white 

 stripe extending from the nose to the back. The upper part 

 of the neck and the whole back are white, divided by a 

 Mack line. Below, it is black, as are the legs; and it has a 

 full tail of coarse black hair, occasionally tipped with white. 

 Its legs are short, and it does not possess much activity. Its 

 feet are armed with claws, somewhat like those of the badger. 



It appears to use this horrid effluvium — which is generated 

 in glands near the tail — as a means of defence. All other 

 animals have a due horror of it. Anything which it touches 

 is tainted: provisions are destroyed; and clothes, though often 

 washed, will retain the smell for many weeks. At one time 

 this substance was used for medicinal purposes. The mode 

 of defence bestowed on the skunk is somewhat similar to 

 that employed by the cuttle-fish, which emits a dark liquor 

 when pursued. Those who have once smelt the horribly fetid 

 odour of the skunk will not easily forget it. 



THE PEKAN, OR WOOD-SHOCK. 

 Still keeping to the lakes and streams, we may often fall 

 in with a creature of curious habits, which, unlike those just 

 described, lives almost entirely among the branches of the 

 trees. In shape it is somewhat like a weasel, and is the 

 largest of the tree martens. It is known as the wood-shock 

 or pekan, and is also called the black cat, and fisher. This 

 last term is inappropriate, as it is not in any way piscivorous. 



