A NATURALIST IN BRAZIL 



for the flesh of dogs. The Puma is easily tamed, and of all the 

 carnivora it is one of the fittest to become the graceful domestic 

 companion of the animal-lover. 



In addition to these two great cats, there is a whole series of 

 smaller species, from the Ocelot, a small edition of the Jaguar, to 

 the wild cat of the South, very like the wild cat of Europe. There 

 is also a wolf in Brazil, but the great development of his molars 

 shows that he is herbivorous as well as carnivorous. He is conse- 

 quently harmless to sheep and cattle, and of course to man, his flesh 

 diet consisting of Preyas and wildfowl. A smaller wild dog is of 

 interest to zoologists because it represents a transitional form, 

 approaching the martens. More common than either of these animals 

 is the handsome Brazilian fox, which ravages the henroosts ; but its 

 valuable skin is an adequate indemnity. 



There is in Brazil a whole series of weasel-like carnivora, such as 

 the blackish-brown Irara, with a yellow patch on the throat, and 

 the Grison, with a light-grey back and a dark-grey belly. These 

 animals, of course, are destructive to poultry, but may be tamed, 

 and are among the favourite domestic animals of the Indians. Of 

 greater importance is the Skunk, with his black coat, marked by 

 two white stripes on the back (Plate 31). This animal, which wards 

 off its assailants by the ejection of a stinking fluid, hunts the venomous 

 snakes of the country, eating them, with the greatest complacency, 

 from the tail upwards, while the reptile, with open jaws, desperately 

 strikes at its enemy. The Cangamba, as the Brazilians call the Skunk, 

 is quite unperturbed. 



I must not omit to mention the large Brazilian Otter — much 

 persecuted, unhappily, on account of its valuable skin — and the 

 volatile Raccoon, and the Kinkajous, which, like so many of the 

 animals of the Brazilian forests, have prehensile tails; they are 

 gentle creatures, and the Indians welcome them as housemates. 

 The Coatis have always been favourite pets, and in many courtyards 

 one sees these creatures — they are red, and the size of a cat — leaping 

 about at the end of a cord. With its pointed head and mobile, trunk- 

 like nose the Goati slyly follows one's movements, and quick as 

 lightning, when one comes within reach, runs up one's body, per- 

 forming all sorts of antics. The Goati is quite fearless and thinks 

 nothing of attacking a dog. Its behaviour is objectionable only if it 

 manages to break loose; then it hastens into the nearest room, 

 playful as a naughty child, tumbles everything about, and investi- 

 gates it so thoroughly that it is soon in fragments. Nothing remains 



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