98 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
with a few white hairs in it. Sometimes she held it over 
her back, and sometimes almost straight out behind her. 
“Aren't the little fellows cunning!” said Marylee. 
There were three of them, and they looked and acted 
just like Mother Skunk. But they were much smaller. 
She and her babies came to a flat rock among the trees 
near Uncle Jack and the children. She turned the rock 
over quickly with one front foot. She slapped her other 
front foot down on a big black beetle that had been hiding 
underneath it. The baby skunks rushed up and chased 
several other insects that tried to get away. Then Mother 
Skunk turned over other rocks, and she and her babies 
ate the insects they found. 
“What are they saying to each other?” asked Fred. 
“They seem to be very, very happy,” answered Uncle 
Jack. “Now let's see what Mother Skunk will do when 
she is angry. I shall be careful to throw this stick so 
that it will not hurt her or her babies.” 
He threw the stick near the skunks. Mother Skunk 
stopped and looked all around. He then threw another 
stick. She raised her tail over her back until the end 
nearly touched her head. She looked around again and 
again, trying to find out where the sticks were coming 
from. 
“See how bushy her tail is. now, and how she holds it 
over her back!” said Uncle Jack, in a low voice. “That 
is the way she always does when she is angry.” 
He threw a larger stick. This time it bounced and hit 
her. She put her nose down between her front feet for 
a short time. Then she looked up. How angry she was! 
