32 
OEDEES OF MAMMALS— FLESH EATEES 
enemies, is contained in two glands situated near 
the base of the tail, and can be thrown several 
feet. Its odor is so offensive and so stifling 
that neither man nor beast can long endure it. 
The Skunk is a bold marauder, and destruc- 
tive to poultry, but nevertheless of value as a 
destroyer of white grubs and other noxious in- 
sects. Owing to the disappearance of the otter, 
beaver, mink and marten, the fur of the Skunk 
has become valuable, and is now very exten- 
sively used, the white portions being first dyed 
black. 
The Little Spotted Skunks 1 are found chiefly 
in our southern states, and can immediately be 
recognized by the alternating bands of black 
and white which extend lengthwise along 
the body. Of these there are about a dozen 
species, but some of them are very much alike. 
They range from the Gulf coast north to West 
Virginia and Kansas, but on the Pacific slope 
they are found in Washington, Oregon, Cali- 
fornia and Utah. 
The Badger Skunks 2 resemble the common 
Skunks in size, but may be readily distinguished 
by the broad white stripe on the back, and the 
powerful claws on the fore feet. As indicated 
by their name, they are more badger-like than 
THE BADGER. 
the other skunks, and are expert diggers. They 
are the only skunks which occur in South Amer- 
ica, and their range extends from the Straits 
of Magellan northward along the west coast, 
through Central America and Mexico into south- 
ern Texas and Arizona. 
The Badger is an animal of strange form, its 
body being very broad and flat, and its legs very 
1 Spi'lo-gale. 2 Co-ne-pa'tus. 
short. In size it stands midway between the 
common skunk anti the wolverine. It has a sav- 
age and sullen disposition, and as a pet is one of 
the worst imaginable. It lives in burrows, and 
feeds on ground squirrels, prairie-“dogs,” and 
ground game of every description. Often Bad- 
gers will be found living in deserts where it would 
seem an impossibility for any carnivorous animal 
to find a supply of food. Its home is the Great 
Plains, the Kocky Mountains and westward there- 
of to the Pacific coast, from Mexico to Manitoba 
and Alaska. 
THE BEAR FAMILY. 
Ursidae. 
That nearly all young people, the whole world 
over, are greatly interested in bears, is no cause 
for wonder. Under proper conditions, young 
bears are the most merry-hearted wild animals 
that come into captivity, not even excepting 
monkeys, and in some respects the most inter- 
esting. Of all wild animals kept in zoological 
parks, there are none that more fully repay the 
care bestowed upon them, and excepting apes 
and monkeys, none that furnish more amusement. 
With plenty of sun-lit space in which to romp 
and play, good bathing pools, and nd stone 
walls to depress their spirits, if not fed by vis- 
itors, bears are more playful and mirth-pro- 
voking than most monkeys. If immured in 
gloomy “bear-pits,” or confined in small cages, 
their spirits are correspondingly depressed. 
They are then like unhappy prisoners, rather 
than care-free wild creatures. If tantalized 
with bits of food, they quarrel and fight, and their 
tempers become savage and dangerous. 
Contrary to general belief, a bear is naturally 
cheerful and good-tempered. Elk, deer, buffalo, 
elephants and large cats often attack their keep- 
ers, but bears that have been properly reared 
in captivity seldom do so. 
The bear dens of the New York Zoological 
Park, contained (in 1903) thirty-four bears, 
of eleven different species, living in peace and 
harmony, in nine paved yards. Fully one-half 
of their waking hours are spent in romping, 
wrestling, boxing and swimming, and ill-temper 
is rarely shown. The keepers go amongst these 
bears with only brooms for defence, and the great 
brutes are hustled about and driven to and fro 
