MAMMALIA — RACCOON. 



115 



THE RACCOONS 



The raccoon is a native of most parts of North America ; but it has never 

 yet been found on the Old Continent. Buffon asserts that it is common in 

 South America, but we believe it has never been found farther south than 

 Mexico. 



It is an animal of about the same size as a small badger ; its body is short 

 and bulky ; its fur is fine, long, thick, blackish at the surface, and gray 

 towards the bottom ; its head is like that of the fox, but its ears are round 

 and shorter ; its eyes are large, of a yellowish green, and over them there is 

 a black and transverse stripe; its snout is sharp; its tail is thick, but taper- 

 ing towards a point, and marked alternately from one end to the other with 

 black and white, and brownish rings, and is at least as long as the body : its 

 fore legs are much shorter than the hind ones, and both are armed with five 

 strong, sharp claws. 



It inhabits the southern parts of the fur districts, being found as far north 

 as Red river, in latitude fifty degrees, from which quarter about one hundred 

 skins are procured annually, by the Hudson's Bay Company. If there is no 

 mistake as to the identity of the species, the raccoon extends farther north 

 on the shores of the Pacific than it does on the eastern side of the Rocky 

 Mountains. Dixon and Portlock obtained cloaks of raccoon skins from the 

 natives of Cook's river, in latitude sixty degrees ; and skins supposed to be 

 of the raccoon, were also seen at Nootka Sound, by Captain Cook. Lewis 



1 Proo/on lotnr, Lin. The genus Procynn has six upper and six lower incisors ; two 

 ipper and two lower canines; twelve upper and twelve lower molars. Lower incisors on 

 the same line ; the three posterior molars tuberculous ; feet pentadactyle ; nails sharp • 

 muzzle pointed ; ears small ; tail long; six ventral mammce. 



