Natural History.

Otago Witness, Issue 1569, 10 December 1881, Page 27

Natural History .

NOTES FOR THE YOUNG.

Polecats and Skunks.

By Uncle David,

Polecats belong to that division of the flesheating animals, which walk on the tips of their toes. These, you will perhaps remember, are called digitigrate carniyox-a. They may be divided into several flections according to very marked psculiarities, Those thai; are provided with ouly one blunt tooth behind the lacerafcor form a very natural group, distinguished by the name of vermiform carnivora (vermes a worm) on account of their long, slender, and worm-like body. Their legs are very short, their feet are eacb^furnished with five toes, and they all give forth'an odour more or less strong. Although of small size, these animals are very cruel, and live chiefly upon the blood of their victims. To this class belong the polecats, martens, skunks, and otters. The polecats are the moat bloodthirsty of all. Their head is round, their ears short and wide, their fur thick and soft, their tail long, and the glands beneath secrete an offensive, stinking fluid. The common polecat is brown, with yellowish flanks, and white spots on the head. It is from fifteen to eighteen inches in length, exclusive 'if the tail, which it about six inches long. It takes up its abode in the thatch of barns or in rabbit burrows, whence it sallies forth in the night in quest of food. This animal, in the vicinity of a farm yard, ia even more mischievous than a fox, where broods of chickens are often destroyed during a Bingle night, and the bodies left on the spot. The polecat was much more common in Britain in former times than it isno*v. In some districts it is almost extirpated, through the continual war waged against it by gamekeepers and others. It eats everything that the gamekeeper wishes to preserve. Its love for the blood and brains of its victims is proverbial. Its ravages among poultry are in a measure componaated by its destruction of rats. The taming of the polecat does not; appear to have been attempted. I suppose the small prevents it. The skins are imparted from the north of Europe in considerable quantities, uuder the name of fitch or fltchet, and are used as a kind of fur, similar, butiaferior, to that of the marten. The long hairs which grow through the thick fur are used in the manufacture of brushes for artists. The female breeds in spring, making a neat of soft, dry gross in her burrow. The young are from three to fivo in number. Aidrovandus Johnston and several others mention that the polecat will prey on fish. The following is recorded in Berwick's ' Quadrupeds ' : — ' During a severe storm, one of thetie animals was traced in the Hnow from the side of a rivulet to its hole at Home distance from it. As it was observed to have made frequent trips, and as other marks were to be seen in the snow, which could .not be easily accounted for, it waa thought a matter worthy of attention. Its burrow was accord ingly examined, the polecat taken, and eleven fine eels were discovered to be the fruits of its nocturnal exertion?. The m<irk3 in the enow were found to have been made by the motions 'of the eek while in the creature's mouth.' As I have already stated, the polecat gives forth a moat fetid smell, more especially when the creature is irritated. On this account, the animal is called in Scotland, a foumart, which is merely a corruption of foul marten. Some time ago, when tho rabbit paat was the all-ab-sorbing topic to up-country farmers, someone, writing to the papers, suggested that the iutroduction of polecats to Oiago would prove a great blessing. There is no doubfc thai; these animals are very fond of rabbits' blood. I can add, too, that they are very partial to lamb's blood, arid particularly fond of pheaoantß* blood and brains. So if it. were the object of the farmers to destroy the lambs, phoasantp, and rabbits together, then I have no doubt that the polecat would prove ft great blesoing to them. Sknnko are inhabitants of Atnericu, and are proverbial for the great stenc'a which they diffinse to a groat distance. The Hudson's Buy skunk is low on its legs, with a broad, fleshy body. It has a white forehervd, the eyos small, tbe ears short and rounded. A narrow, whito line runs from the tip of the none to tho back of the he&d t> whero it widenß out into a bto&d maik. It is again uairowad and continues bo until it pa^seß the Bhouldors, where it forks, tho branches running down each Bids, the marks getting deeper aa tb.9y separate. They then approach each other and meet near ' the tail. In some spacimeus, however, the j marks do not unite at the tail, but run oufi at I tho thighs. The black line on the back, which i the two white m&rks include, is egg-shaped, the narrow end being towards the shoulders. Tha eidea of the head and all the under parta are black, the hair pa tbe body in long, the taSI in

I covered with long hair, and has generally two long white otripes above a background. The claws of the forefeet are very strong and long, being fitted for digging. Sir John Eichardson, speaking of this animal, says that the ' noisome fluid which ifc discharges is of a yellow colour, and that the stench is so durable, that the spot where a skunk has been killed will retain the taint for many days.' These animals depend vory much for defence against their enemies on the possession of this fetid fluid, and when assailed, they turn their hind-quarters towards their assailant, raise the tall, and discharge this fluid with considerable force. f The odour proceeding from it even when a dead skunk had been flung into an enclosure, has been known to cause nausea to the inmates of an apartment with closed doors and windows, at the distance of 100 yards. So confident does the skunk soem of the efficacy of its peculiar mode of defence, that it will permit itself to_ be approached till it is just' on the point of being seized, — which, however, is only attempted by the inexperienced— wh9n the battery is discharged.' And woe betide the man or dog who receives tho charge. As for the man, his clothes would be for ever useless, — neither Bardsley's prize pale soap nor Hunter's patent vegetable disinfectant, would rid them of that never-to-be-forgotten smell. His best plan would be to bury them and give the spot a wide berth for a time. As for the dog, poor fellow, he would flee for his life, and rub his nose along the ground till it would be torn and bleeding. Such a horror have dogs of this animal that/no amount of coaxing will induce them to lookin the direction of one, after their first lesson.