98 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



in the marshes, miles from tree growth, will claim it to be a 

 "woods 'coon," the theory being that the sun's rays have a 

 tendency to bleach the guard hairs. As a matter of fact, 

 this appears, according to investigations, to have very 

 little to do with this color condition. Tidal marshes, and 

 especially salt-encrusted grasses, cause the yellowing of 

 the raccoon's coat. Mother 'coons, with "salt water" pelage 

 have been found with young that were as dark as the young 

 of woods 'coons. Marshes that have an excess of fresh 

 water have a very high percentage of black 'coons that 

 never saw a woods or enjoyed the shade of a cypress 

 swamp. Note what du Pratz said. 



Although indigenous to every parish of the state, the 

 raccoon is found in greatest numbers in the coastal belt. 

 Terrebonne parish leads in production, with St, Mary sec- 

 ond, Lafourche third, Cameron fourth, and Plaquemines, 

 St. Bernard, Assumption, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vermilion, 

 Beauregard, Calcasieu, Iberville, Livingston, West Felici- 

 ana, Allen, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Richland, East Car- 

 roll and Sabine, in the order named, are the principal pro- 

 ducers of this fur animal. 



The Ring-Tailed Cat 



The "Ring-tailed Cat," or Bassarisk, or "Civet Cat," or 

 "Cat Squirrel," the Cacomiztli or Cacomistle, a "Raccoon 

 Fox," a Ring-tailed Bassaris, "Ccon-Cat," to say nothing 

 of a dozen other local names, as well as Bassariscus astutus, 

 according to scientific nomenclature, is a fur animal of 

 Louisiana according to law, but whether or not there has 

 ever been one taken alive and wild in this state is to bring 

 up an argument. 



Up to this time no one has received indisputable evidence 

 of a single specimen of this fur animal being taken in Lou- 

 isiana, although this mammal of many names is supposed 

 to wander over our border line occasionally from Texas and, 

 according to some, Arkansas. 



The Ring-tailed Cat is a strange little creature, nearly 

 allied to the raccoon, but it has a far more slender 



