Probably no nocturnal mammal in the Southwest is more likely to be encountered than this little skunk. How many of my readers can recall drifting up from an uneasy sleep to the sibilant whisper of, “there’s something in the tent.” While eyes strain to pierce the darkness, faint patterings on the floor and urgent scratching at the grub box indicate that there is indeed “something in the tent.” Turning over with the utmost care, while the joints of the cot loudly complain, the flashlight under the pillow is finally extricated. Surely the creature has been frightened away, but no, the rattlings continue—in the dishes now. The brilliant white beam stabs in that direction. Red eyes stare back, interested perhaps, but unafraid. The rounded ball of black and white fluff waits motionless to see if any harm is intended. When none is offered, his highness makes his way to the door and ambles away into the enveloping darkness. In the morning tiny squirrel-like tracks in the dust show that _Spilogale_ has paid a nocturnal call. These, and perhaps the contents missing from the butter and bacon grease containers, because this little animal dearly loves animal fats. These are the foods which attract these animals to camp sites in such numbers that they frequently become a nuisance. In the wild, spotted skunks live largely on insects. These are taken not only in the adult form but also in great numbers in the larval stage, as is shown by the well-winnowed debris under clumps of cactus and around the bases of shrubs and trees. In these searches for insects small prey of other kinds is captured as circumstances permit. Worms and scorpions as well as small rodents are not refused. More rarely a ground-nesting bird may be disturbed and the eggs or young taken. In rural communities hen roosts are sometimes raided too but in the main the spotted skunk should be considered beneficial, with control of grasshoppers and beetles it’s chief function. Like most predators, this member of the weasel family has few natural enemies. This is not surprising; few animals willingly take a chance on attacking this doughty little warrior, which sometimes does a handstand the better to spray it’s enemies. These tactics avail nothing against the steely monsters that rush up and down our highways in the dead of night. In the space of 50 years the automobile has developed into the most successful enemy of the spotted skunk. Yet even in death on the highway the skunk has it’s revenge. Few will pass the spot for many a day without paying unwilling tribute to this malodorous legacy. Striped skunk _Mephitis mephitis_ (Latin: a pestilential exhalation) Range: The southern half of Canada, the whole of the United States, and the northern half of Mexico. [Illustration: Habitat map] Habitat: All life zones up to timberline in places which have a sufficient food supply and proper cover.