Show r NOTES ON ONA A SKUNK I Ernest Harold Baynes Newport N N H OT we ago CO I went ent out Into NOT I 1 ih h with two whIch I live had hd under ob since their birth Wh we weWt Wt f rC tar far wa from aU 11 houses and doS dogs doSa a Ihl I 1 fret aU all chance of interruption T lilt ut m my on the and lay wn with a to see what they do At liMIt too much at the freedom cC the open fields flo do but walk about sniffin t th lb cra graSS and t herbs they found foun there But r they be beI I In the insects which th they found on In the ground esp the of which the they captured a BUm num When one ODe of the skunk of a eri ket he would make a little littlen 1 n I t it j and stamp on It with sIth his fore ue the die ln Insect to death by T linK it ivr Hr the ground Then IK he would put d o n fl his sharp and eat his hie vic victim tim with evident ident relish fter r t l time one oi of them m managed to toa at a frog be rolled 1 out with his paws until it wa ead 1 It I It UI Ip In hi mouth but did not nott t to 0 eat at it and 11 wall Still him himself with It the other skunk am up Then began a squab for or th of at the frog which was ill iii one mouth hul holh h And all while the a as though they hE being killed r I 1 frt at on one another ith au an whiCh seemed sim Im 11 V bUtt r I tW them both awu awa with the bud of oft t d roc stretched out them n thy fin finally dy d POt d of it they V en el Olt Ii Sight but r I dent dont think they 11 te it rr or I have haYe seen n them refuse to eat frK It t tJI f 1 caught ht I of th them m a few minutes later 1 1 v r Inh W In a blueberry bush heh wor wai ladon with ith ripe fruit They I ma ny It of the b ne tite C tili d daM 1 aeh is aM they stood and some Of C th those a litt higher they rot got at h 1 down Ue th with their fore W I Ita saw them f 1 d tin n ila kh in Ih he same ame wa way n 0 o one of the skinks l I li h tarUno o ilig n a burrow under rg k 11 lie wc went nt ft at j it with hi his r anci grat pi fl 1 for th pur puri i hp he was wa husy with this work ork anin wandered ansi and a is h he heill ill not bak baek T I t K it best hett to tog toS g S ad loI him up I 1 found 1 m b by 1 hl tf f 4 large lafKe pond dl digging i hole ii l mud It md hf he cHI II not notto to t l for I camp p pI 1 I f i t out and stamped at mE India indig I 1 nty Jt h t I made no sudden u mO movements t war him so be new neur to toI I I bI bh Wi known method of defense tIlI he saw laW me and not notI I t te bP be J I hI he into the tb wat r and began to 11 swim across the pond For a time HOle the air Imprisoned In hl lila long fur to buo buoy him UP and his head back and much of oC his bushy bUBby taU tail wore all ah the I surface But by and by tIle the fur began to get wet anti and before beCore he was halt balf across the pond nothing but his head was stas above aboe the water He swam ver very well though not fast Cast and I ran around to the opposite site lite shore and picked up as he left the water dripping wet On getting back to the spot where the theother theother other skunk had started his diggIng op operations I that he had not been idle In our absence He had made a good beginning and from the mouth or o the hole he had made under the tho stone there was nothing to be seen now but his tall Placing the In the basket they the had been brought In I lay down to watch the efforts or of the other one Presently came across the field an Italian who from his gen general ral appear appearance appearance ance had not been In this country ver very long and whose English vocabulary as asI I discovered consisted of a f few w sentences about as comple as 95 Two To tel fer fife nCe He looked hard at t e skunk anti and then n at me and then at again Then he J Vat wt flatT dat S Skunk Vat Wat spunk punk Gude toot FIne Flae with a nod This on o Um tale state moot ment of one ot of not from person personal v I gem eat bar barNo No 9 f 1 A look Jook of e carne came over oer hI his fare fUe and he be quite to the hole where the skunk was workIng Presently the tittle animal I backed out of the bur burrow burrow row to Teat rest or to survey Its work and the Italian saW two things First that Its skin WAS s of probable value and ec end ond that It was n a small man creature easily overpowered Then lie he spoke again this time With n a covetous look on hi his face You get Im skin eli eh eho ehre eliNo No NoM o M re get Im 5 As ho he saId this h he took look the step tow towards Un skunk which v lek had now re returned returned turned to bi work io no iso J I sd b to m my feet to prevent R a ophe ph which J I felt wea Imminent hut mit t the e lUlU Italian mistook my intention lIe apparently that I espied d to prevent blur a which J I had 1541 no 50 use for c and quick quickly ly reached d down r l the out by bv the tall tail ow I hv known that skunk kunk for a long JonK tIme and he Is about abou t ta a as d as any iy member o of hi has baa come under lay iny oh ob But he had never been treated likE this thu In his life UCe before and Ut the next ext Instant Ute he Italian let goof go of the tho tail and andu was u reeling backward under t the h e effects K of nf his bIB In fn rf R hl history tor S |