46 ZOOLOGY. 



and his sheath-knife, to despatch him, but the badger, instead of retreating, came at him open- 

 mouthed, and with such a show of ferocity that he was fain to let him pass, trusting to find a 

 club to kill him with ; but in that region clubs do not "grow on every bush," for most of the 

 bushes are sage bushes, and before he found any sort of a stick the badger had reached his hole. 

 Two days after I became indebted to him for a fine specimen, which a long rifle shot had 

 dropped at the entrance of his burrow. Another, while leisurely following an old trail, ap- 

 parently on a journey, was overtaken and killed by some of our soldiers. Seeing, perhaps, the 

 hopelessness of the attempt, he made no effort to escape, but a vigorous defence, and was only 

 despatched with some difficulty. 



The burrows of the badger penetrate the light volcanic soil of the western plains in all direc- 

 tions ; and often it has occurred that while riding unsuspectingly over an unbroken surface my 

 horse has suddenly sunk into one of these old burrows the whole length of the fore or hind 

 legs, sometimes extricating himself only with considerable effort. 



It may seem surprising that an animal of so little prowess, so little speed and cunning, should 

 find a subsistence in a region so nearly barren of animal and vegetable life as that which I have 

 described ; but the number of Spermophiles and Arvicolae which are found there is surprising, 

 considering the circumstances in which they live, and I suspect they furnish him the greater 

 part of his food, his unequalled power and skill in burrowing enabling him with comparatively 

 little trouble to follow them to the bottom of their holes and devour them at leisure. The 

 number of badgers inhabiting any given space is small, as they seem to be a singularly solitary 

 animal ; and a large part of the burrows which they make, and which we see, and perhaps fall 

 into, are never occupied by them as domicils, but are made in pursuit of food. 



Of the considerable number of badgers and badger skins which I saw at the west, scarce any 

 two were of precisely the same color. Some were of a pale dirty brown, while others were of a 

 rich dark chestnut, with the hairs of the back tipped with silver. When irritated, the badger 

 shakes up his thick coat of hair, as the owl and hen their feathers, in order to appear as large 

 and formidable as possible. At such times, the back is flattened and the sides expanded, the long 

 hair projecting like the shell of a turtle or the eaves of a house. The hair is so arranged also 

 as to display the variety of color to the greatest advantage, and under such circumstances a good 

 specimen of a badger becomes a very handsome animal. 



Our specimen of badger was collected at Klamath lake. 



PROCTON HEENANDEZII, Wagler. 



Black-footed Raccoon. 



Procyon hernandezii, Waglek, Isis, XXIV, 1831, 514. 



Wieomann, in Archiv, III, i, 1837, 367.— Ib. Annals and Mag. N. H. I, 1833, 133. 



"Wagner, Suppl. Schreber, II, 1841, 157; also in Schreber Saugt. Ill, pi. cxliii, A, (interpolated.) 



Baikd, Gen. Rep. Mammals, 1857, 212. 

 ? Procyon nivea, Gray, Charlesw. Mag. N. II. I, 1837, 580. (Albino.) 



Sp. Cn. — Larger than P. lotor. General color greyish white, with a tinge of yellowish; long hairs tipped with black. 

 Under fur dark brown. A large oblique black patch on the side of the face continuous with a paler one under the chin. 

 Sides and under part of the muzzle, posterior margin of the cheek patch, and the ear, whitish. Tail tapering to tip, with 

 five or six annuli and the tip black ; the annuli half as wide only as the rusty whitish interspaces. Hind feet exceeding 

 four inches ; the upper surface mostly dark brown. Naked part of the soles three inches. 



Varies in lighter colors and substitution of rusty brown or chestnut for the black tints. 



This raccoon, regarded as distinct from the eastern species, inhabits all parts of California, 

 Oregon, and Washington Territories ; specimens having been obtained from widely separated 



