185 



the creature's life preserved, \n order that some notes might be 

 taken of its characteristics. 



For some time he was kept at the Victoria Institute, but 

 thinking that little would be learned about his habits there, I 

 asked the President to allow me to take charge of him for a few 

 weeks, and for the past month I have had him at my house. I 

 may mention that his transportation from the Institute to 

 Lower Prince Street was attempted, at first by nailing him 

 lip in a box ; but he vigorously protested against such a pro- 

 cedure, breaking away the bars which enclosed him ; eventually 

 lie was permitted to walk down and although evincing a great 

 desire to lie down in the gutters now and then and an insatiable 

 curiosit}^ as to where drains led to, he on the whole behaved 

 very well. I have been somewhat at a loss for a name for the 

 animal, several have occurred to me amongst them Ananias, and 

 Toby and a dozen others. Two at last were suggested as being 

 pre-eminently suitable — so suitable in fiict that I cannot decide 

 which one to choose and I shall leave the matter in the hands of 

 this meeting. His nose "tip tilted like the petal of a flower" 

 ingenious face and the diligence with which he throws over 

 every thing within his reach, gives me the impression that like 

 "NVilkins Micawber he is ever waiting for something 

 to turn up. His habit of continually rubbing his hands, or 

 paws, together as if using invisible soap and imperceptible water 

 points to his claim to being a namesake of Uriah Heep. The 

 racoon has been justly described as a "bear like" animal of 

 small size, differing a good deal in external appearance although 

 agreeing closely Avith the genus Ursus in all essential particulars. 

 Like the bears the racoon is a plantigrade, that is walks on the 

 soles of his feet and anatomically he possesses many of the dis- 

 tinctive characteristics of the family. I find, however, in reading 

 tip his natural history that there are two exceptions in this 

 general similitude ; unlike the bears the ear drum is largely 

 developed and closely resembles that of the dog. The racoon's 

 molar teeth and especially the hinder ones are also very 

 much like the dog's in appearance. The canine teeth are com- 

 pressed from side to side and have sharp front and back edges 

 and are also somewhat out standing. Then again the racoon 

 has only 40 teeth while the bears have two more. The teeth 

 wanting are the last upper molars on each side. The racoons as you 

 will notice in this specimen have large heads and prominent cheeks 

 and they use their forepaws very largely, possessing considerable 

 grasping power. As I remarked before the forepaws are in con- 

 stant mo'tion ; frequently the racoon will sit on his haunches in 

 the loose ungainly fashion characteristic of the bears, and while 

 he is looking anywhere but at what he is doing, his forepaws are 



