78 
A small colony of the Burrowing Owls {Spheotyto cunicul- 
aria var. hypogcea) is on the side of the walk directly opposite 
the Prairie Dogs. They are found on the plains west of the 
Mississippi river and also in South America, — this bird being 
a variety of the South American form. 
Next to the Owls is a cage containing some Striped Goph- 
ers {Spermophilus tridece7n-lineatus) . The Spermophiles form 
a large sub-group of the squirrel family ; they live in burrows 
in the ground, but are directly connected with the tree squirrels 
by almost insensible gradations of form, one of which, the 
Line-tailed or Mexican Rock Squirrel i^Spermophilus grani- 
murus), will be seen in a cage in the Carnivora House. It is 
difficult to distinguish this species, without close examination, 
from the true squirrels, which live in trees. The Striped 
Gopher is found from Western Michigan to the Missouri 
river and south to Arkansas. 
Richardson’s Spermophile {Spermophilus richardsonii) and 
the Gray Gopher {Spermophilus franklinii) are also North 
American forms. 
The Common Skunk {Mephitis mephiticd) is a small car- 
nivore belonging to the Musteline group ; it inhabits the 
United States from the Missouri river eastward, — 'the western 
and south-western parts of the country being infested by 
several other species, one of which ranges into South America. 
The true Skunks are confined to the New World; in them the 
anal glands characteristic of all the Mustelidce reach their 
most complete development, and secrete a fluid which the 
animal can eject at will to a distance of several feet, and 
which possesses an odor at once the most powerful and intol- 
erable of any known animal secretion. The fur of the Skunk 
is very long and fine, and is much worn under the euphoni- 
ous designation of “Alaska Sable.” 
The Badger {Taxidea americand) belongs to the same 
group as the Skunk ; it lives in burrows, which it excavates 
with its powerful claws, and is found through the western 
United States up to about latitude fifty-eight degrees in Brit- 
ish America, though it is seldom seen east of the Missouri 
river ; southward it is replaced by a well-marked variety {her- 
landieri~). Allied species of Badger are found in Europe and 
Asia. 
