58 THE RED COATI. 



are extremely useful to him while climhing and de- 

 scending trees. For the coati does not descend 

 backwards like the cat or bear; he comes down with 

 his head foremost, and clings in his perilous descent 

 to the rough bark, or to small twigs and projections, 

 which serve him as a ladder. This is effected by 

 means of his hinder claws, which are so con- 

 structed as to enable him to turn them back, like 

 hooks, to a great extent. His voice is a gentle 

 hissing when in a good humour; a shrill and pierc- 

 ing cry when under the influence of fear or anger. 



The individual which gave rise to these remarks 

 was an inmate of the French Museum. Without 

 being actually malicious, he w r as never completely 

 domesticated, and though at times allowing himself to 

 be caressed, he would more frequently bite the hand 

 that was extended to play with him. On this account 

 it was necessary to keep him shut up. Possibly he 

 was irritated by the remembrance of his past con- 

 dition. We know that animals are endowed with 

 memory; they recognise those who were kind to 

 them, even after the lapse of many years, and it is 

 more than probable that they often recur when in 

 a captive state to their native haunts. In the pre- 

 sent instance, confinement seemed to depress the 

 faculties of the red coati, yet in disposition he so 

 much resembled his brown relative, that we may 

 conjecture little difference to subsist between them, 

 excepting that the former live retired in small par- 

 ties, while, on the contrary, the brown coati love 

 to associate in large communities. 



