144 BULLETIN NO. VII. 
held up a full grown raccoon which, even added to the excite- | 
ment of the chase, hardly mitigated the disappointment in the 
failure to secure an Alabama opossum. 
Description of a specimen of raccoon taken Aug. 27, 1884: This 
animal while young, was evidently over a year old. It throve 
and grew well and became a great favorite by its amiability and 
eccentricity. 
The moult was in progress or-rather nearly completed at 
this time. The old hair comes out in bunches, (7. e. the under 
fur), and was replaced by a darker shade. The fur was, of 
course far from being as full, long and strikingly colored as in 
winter. 
The colors are as follows: Base of fur light sepia brown or 
a somewhat warmer tint. This ground color affects the exter- 
nal appearance little, except below where it is less completely 
obscured by the terminal part of the hairs. It does, however, 
tone down the external coloration everywhere. The general 
grey of the body is produced by the color of the longer and 
coarser hairs which have a median portion of white or light: 
but impure olivacious yellow and a longer or shorter terminal 
portion of dark brown or black. The chief difference between 
a winter and summer pelage is produced by the greater length 
of the dark terminal portion in the former. Underneath the 
terminal band is lacking and the color, excepton the throat, is 
pure white upon the plumbeous or brown color of the under 
fur. Above the middle band of the hairs is distinctly yellow- 
ish and along the back the black tips are conspicuous and in 
winter give the appearance of a dark median stripe or band. 
Upon the head are distinct markings consisting of the fol- 
lowing dark areason a white ground. A median band of yellow- 
ish brown beginning on the nose and becoming blackish be- 
tween the eyes, terminating upon the forehead, and a band 1{ 
inches wide crossing the cheeks diagonally and including the eye. 
The top of the head partakes of the color of the back, but the 
base of the ears and an irregular spot behind them is dark. A 
dark band nearly meets the facial one below upon the throat. 
The ears are white-tipped. No other marking occurs except 
upon the tail where the yellowish cast is more pronounced and 
the lighter color is broken by rings or annulations of black. 
In this case there are six rings aside from the terminal pencil 
of black hairs. A more or less distinct garter of black or 
brown marks the hinder leg. The exposed part of the skin is 
black; elsewhere it is white. 

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