MEPHITIS MEPHITICA. 
7 * 
snout is strongly suggestive of the pig’s ; still, his tout ensemble is 
decidedly pleasing. There is nothing obscure in his color or mark- 
ings. The handsome black body, the narrow white stripe running up 
the forehead, the clear white crown from which a broad band of the 
same color commonly extends down the nape, splitting into two as it 
passes along the back, contrasting handsomely with the glossy 
black of the surrounding fur, and the large, bushy tail, terminating 
in a tuft of creamy white, combine to produce an exterior of unusual 
attractiveness. His fur is long, thick, and glossy, and makes an ele- 
gant centre for a robe. During the past few years prime pelts 
(those lacking the white back stripes) have been largely employed in 
the manufacture of fine furs, and are sold under the nom de guerre 
of “ Alaska Sable.” 
Excepting alone the weasels, the Skunk is the least wary, not only 
of the Mustelidce , but of all our Carnivores. He is not suspicious, 
and may be taken in almost any kind of a device contrived for the 
purpose — box-traps, steel-traps, and dead-falls being most commonly 
employed in his destruction. To the trapper he often proves a 
source of great annoyance, by getting into toils set for the fox and 
other more valuable fur. 
He does not evince that dread of man that is so manifest in the 
vast majority of our mammals, and when met during any of his cir- 
cumambulations rarely thinks of running away. On the contrary, 
his curiosity is aroused, and he is full as apt to come towards one as 
to make off in the opposite direction. He is slow in movement and 
deliberate in action, and does not often hurry himself in whatever he 
does. His ordinary gait is a measured walk, but when pressed for 
time he breaks into a low, shuffling gallop. It is hard to intimidate 
a Skunk, but when once really frightened he manages to get over 
the ground at a very fair pace. 
He is an inquisitive beast, and will often take much trouble to ex- 
amine anything peculiar about the premises. One evening, while 
sitting near the open door of my museum, one came and peeped in 
