THE KINKAJOU. 315 



Lemur, and called Lenitir flavus ; then it was placed among the Civets, as 

 Vivcrra caudivolvida ; at present it possesses a genus to itself, and seems to 

 be intermediate between the Martens and the Bears. 



The KiNKAJOU, Ccrcoleptcs caudivolvuliis (Plate XXIj, comes from 

 Northern Brazil, and when full grown, attains the size of a cat; but it is 

 much more powerful. Its soft, silky coat is yellowish-gray with a red 

 shade running through it, and marked with indistinct dark bands which 

 can only be seen in certain lights. 



The prehensile tail which the Kinkajou possesses renders it a fearless 

 climber ; it swings itself from bough to bough with such agility that even 

 a naturalist like Bates mistook it at first sight for a Mirikina {Nyctipitlie- 

 cus trivirgatus). It is endowed with a very long, flexible tongue, which it 

 can protrude to a marvellous extent and insinuate into the smallest crev- 

 ices or the cells of the honeycomb, or can use like an elephant's trunk 

 to seize and draw things towards its mouth. Being a nocturnal animal, 

 its eyes are contractile, and sunlight seems to annoy it very much. 

 During the day it lies buried in deep slumber ; at night it becomes 

 extremely lively, and exhibits considerable activity of limb and playful- 

 ness of character, running up and down the branches with great skill, 

 uttering at intervals a low, bleating kind of sound, and descending every 

 now and then to drink. In descending it makes use of its hinder claws, 

 turning the feet outward and backward so as to clasp the branch or 

 trunk of the tree, and proceeding head-downward. In its native state 

 its food is of a mixed nature, consisting of fruits, insects, honey, small 

 birds, eggs, and other similar substances. It is easily tamed, and when 

 domesticated is of a sportful nature, delighting to play with those per- 

 sons whom it knows and trusts, and making pretence to bite, after the 

 manner of puppies and kittens. It is very susceptible to kindness, and 

 is fond of the caresses which are offered by its friends. In its wild state, 

 however, it is a rather fierce animal, and when assaulted, offers such a 

 spirited resistance even to human foes, that it will beat off" any but a 

 determined man, supposing him to be unarmed and unassisted. 



GENUS BASSARIS. 



The animals constituting the tivo species of this genus have been often 

 placed among either the Viverrida or the Mustelidce, but they are now 



