BEARS AND THEIR ALLIES. 



615 



being connected ; the wrist and foot only projecting beyond 

 the skin of the body, and there are no external ears, or only- 

 small ones. 



The walrus (Fig. 534), the seals, and the eared seals or 

 sea-lions (Otariidte) 

 are the types of the 

 aquatic Carnivores ; 

 the sea-lions can walk 

 on all fours, and in 

 certain peculiarities of 

 the skull they resem- 

 ble the bears. 



Of the terrestrial, 

 normal Carnivora, the 

 raccoon, coati, Cerco- 

 leptes, and bear, to- 

 gether with a number 

 of extinct forms, are 

 the more generalized 

 or lower types. They 

 are plantigrade, and 

 while standing at the 

 base of the carnivorous 

 series, have some fea- 

 tures suggesting and 

 anticipating those of 

 the lemurs, and mon- 

 keys. The raccoon, 

 Procyon lotor (Linn.), 

 abounds throughout 

 the United States. Al- 

 lied to it is the coati 

 (Xasua) of Central 

 America, a creature 

 about the size of, and 

 with the general hab- 

 its of the raccoon, being an exceedingly knowing and mis- 

 chievous animal. A number of extinct Eocene mammals 

 are also allied to a small plantigrade, long -tailed carnivore, 

 CercolepteSj which resembles the Primates in its two cutting 



