8o 
MAMMALIA. 
tion ol this period the young Skunks have grown up and several of 
them, at least, have attained the full dimensions of their parents, so 
that it is impossible to distinguish between them except by a careful 
examination of their teeth and claws; and even these means some- 
times fail, as when the parents themselves are but a year older than 
their offspring, and nothing short of a comparison of their skulls af- 
fords positive evidence of their ages. I have dwelt thus at length 
on this point in order to show how easy it is to be mistaken in the 
ages of Skunks after the first six or eight months, so rapidly do they 
attain their growth; and I have yet to see satisfactory evidence that 
more than two adult Skunks have been found in the same hole at 
any one time. 
How to Kill a Skunk. 
When we bear in mind that thousands of Skunks are slain each 
year for their fur, it is indeed surprising that so few hunters, trap- 
pers, and naturalists should know how to kill them, without provok- 
ing a discharge from their scent reservoirs. And yet there is a 
method, safe, sure, and simple , by which they may be killed without 
the emission of a single drop of the much dreaded secretion. This 
method depends upon the well-known physiological fact that an in- 
jury to the spinal cord produces immediate paralysis or loss of 
power of the muscles supplied by the nerves that are given off below 
the point of injury. Hence, loss of control over the posterior ex- 
tremities (a condition technically known as paraplegia ) may be pro- 
duced, in any mammal, by a blow across the back that is sufficiently 
forcible to destroy the integrity of the cord opposite the injured point. 
The back must generally be broken to insure this result. 
Therefore, to kill a Skunk without permitting the evacuation of 
its peculiar perfume, it is only necessary to deal it a smart rap across 
the back. If the animal is in a trap he should be approached slowly 
and cautiously, for, under these circumstances it is prudent not to be 
in too much of a hurry, and to avoid making sudden moves. If you go 
