. The naturalist in La Plata. uts, cheers, and hand-clappings began to stir thebrute to a kind of frenzy. Torn by conflictingemotions, he began to revolve about the skunk at alumbering gallop, barking, howling, and bristlingup his hair; and at last, shutting his eyes, and witha yell of desperation, he charged. I fully expectedto see the enemy torn to pieces in a few seconds,but when the dog was still four or five feet fromhim the fatal discharge came, and he dropped downas if shot dead. For some time he lay on the earthperfectly motionless, watched and gently bedewedby the victorious skunk ; t
. The naturalist in La Plata. uts, cheers, and hand-clappings began to stir thebrute to a kind of frenzy. Torn by conflictingemotions, he began to revolve about the skunk at alumbering gallop, barking, howling, and bristlingup his hair; and at last, shutting his eyes, and witha yell of desperation, he charged. I fully expectedto see the enemy torn to pieces in a few seconds,but when the dog was still four or five feet fromhim the fatal discharge came, and he dropped downas if shot dead. For some time he lay on the earthperfectly motionless, watched and gently bedewedby the victorious skunk ; then he got up and creptwhining away. Gradually he quickened his pace, The Mephittc Skunk, 123 finally breaking into a frantic run. In vain Ifollowed him, shouting at the top of my lungs; hestayed not to listen, and very speedily vanishedfrom sight—a white speck on the vast level noon on the following day he made his appear-ance, gaunt and befouled with mud, staggeringforward like a galvanized skeleton. Too worn out. Skunk and dog. even to eat,- he flung himself down, and for hourslay like a dead thing, sleeping off the effects of thosefew drops of perfume. Dogs, I concluded, like men, have their idiosyn-crasies ; but I had gained my point, and proved oncemore—if any proof were needed—the truth of thatnoble panegyric of Bacons on our faithful servantand companion. CHAPTER VIII. MIMICRY AND WARNING COL00BS IN GRASSHOPPERS. There is in La Plata a large handsome grasshopper(Zoniopoda tarsata), the habits of which in its larvaand imago stages are in strange contrast, like thosein certain lepidoptera, in which the caterpillars formsocieties and act in concert. The adult has agreenish protective colouring, brown and greenbanded thighs, bright red hind wings, seen onlyduring flight. It is solitary and excessively shy inits habits, living always in concealment among thedense foliage near the surface oE the ground. Theyoung are intensely black, like grasshoppers cutout of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1922
