566 CARNIVORA 



crayfish, mussels, and fish, although they are unable to dive and 

 pursue the latter under water, like the otter and mink. They are 

 good swimmers, and do not hesitate to cross rivers that lie in their 

 path. . . . The Raccoon hibernates during the severest part of the 

 winter, retiring to its nest rather early, and appearing again in 

 February or March, according to the earliness or lateness of the 

 season. It makes its home high up in the hollow of some large 

 tree, preferring a dead limb to the trunk itself. It does little in 

 the way of constructing a nest, and from four to six young are 

 commonly born at a time, generally early in April in this region. 

 The young remain with the mother about a year." 



The South-American P. cancrivorus, the Crab-eating Raccoon, is 

 very similar to P. lotor, but differs by its much shorter fur, larger 

 size, proportionally more powerful teeth, and other minor characters. 

 It extends over the whole of South America, as far south as the Rio 

 Negro, and is very common in all suitable localities. Its habits are 

 similar to those of the North-American species. Fossil remains of 

 Procyon have been described from the Pleistocene deposits of the 

 United States. 



Bassaris. 1 — A form closely allied to Procyon, but of more slender 

 and elegant proportions, with a sharper nose, longer tail, and more 

 digitigrade feet, and with teeth otherwise like, but smaller, and 

 more sharply denticulated. It was formerly, but erroneously, placed 

 among the Viverrida'. Two species : — B. astufa, from the southern 

 parts of the United States and Mexico, and B. snmichrasti, from 

 Central America. 



Bassaricyon. 2 — This name has been given to a distinct modifica- 

 tion of the Procyonine type of which at present only two examples 

 are known, one from Costa Rica and the other from Ecuador, which, 

 appearing to be different sjjecies, have been named B. gabbi and 

 B. alleni They much resemble the Kinkajou (Cercolcptes) in external 

 appearance, but the skull and teeth are more like those of Procyon 

 and Nasua. 



Nasua. z — Dentition as in Procyon, but the upper canines are 

 larger and more strongly compressed, and the molars smaller. The 

 facial portion of the skull is more elongated and narrow. Verte- 

 brae : C 7, D 14, L 6, S 3, C 22-23. Body elongated and rather 

 compressed. Nose prolonged into a somewhat upturned, obliquely 

 truncated, mobile snout. Tail long, non-prehensile, tapering, annu- 

 lated. These animals, commonly called Coatis or Coati-Mundis, 

 live in small troops, of eight to twenty, are chiefly arboreal, and feed 

 on fruits, young birds, eggs, insects, etc. Recent researches have 

 reduced the number of supposed species to two, A! narica of Mexico 



1 Liechtenstein, Isis, 1831, p. 512. 



- Allen, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil, id. 1ST6, p. 20. 



3 Storr, Prodromus Meth. Mamm. p. 35 (1780). 



