Concord, Mass.
1901
Oct 13
  Cloudy with strong, S.W. wind and occasional showers
of mist-like rain. Very warm for a sun-less day.
  Taking a short walk behind Ball's Hill this morning
I started a Hermit Thrush and saw several Yellow-rumps,
three or four Jays, a Golden-crest and a Black-poll Warbler.
Some freshly thrown-out earth by the side of the path
attracted my attention to a hole six or eight inches in
width by about a foot in depth which a Skunk
had evidently excavated, for his footprints were plainly
visible. Directly in front of this shallow burrow lay
two larger pieces and several small fragments of the comb
of the Yellow Jacket Hornet. Although none of the cells
were injured they were all quite empty save one which
contained a dead larva. Only a few days ago we dug
out a nest of these Hornets and found all the cells still 
with honey and in mostly all the plump whitish larvae.
From this I infer that after putting out the comb
the Skunk must have managed in some way to extract
all the honey and larvae. If his nest was as well
stored as ours he must have had a rich feast. No
doubt his thick fur protected him from stings of
the adult Hornets or they may have been torpid at
night when his raid was probably made. It is not
likely that he would have dug out an old nest &
the fresh appearance of the comb as well as the
presence of the dead larvae should conclusively that
this nest was not an old one. Skunks have not
been as common in this neighborhood this year as they
usually are; at best I have seen but five of their
signs during the season when the turtles were laying.
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