Hoffmeister 1941 Mephitis mephitis 300 yds. N Botanical Garden, Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley, Alameda Co., Calif. June 15. At 7:10 p.m., I saw a striped skunk foraging in the dry, sparse oats beneath eucalyptus trees that grow in such a dense stand north of the Botanical garden. At this time it was still very light for the sun had not set & the day was clear. Mrs. Hoffmeister & I approached to within 20 feet of the animal and stopped. If it heard us it gave [illegible] no reaction & continued to forage. It did this for 10 minutes without any notice of us, keeping its nose very close to the ground, rooting up piles of leaves and debris. During this time it found nothing to eat, and continued to move up about constantly. It came to within 15 feet of me. My shrill whistle caused no reaction by the skunk. Clapping my hands and shouting only caused a very temporary startle, with the tail raised vertically for a few seconds. At no time was any scent detected. Throwing small rocks in the grass near the animal caused the animal to react to the noise they made on landing as if they might be prey, with a pounce in that direction. Upon my approach, and with some clapping, the skunk very slowly moved off, with the tail occasionally held erect, at which time a bare, white area, presumably around the anus and scent glands, could be seen. However, no scent was exuded as far as could be detected. The animal appeared not fully adult.