CARNIVORA. 221 



Genus PROCYON. The Racoon. This constitutes 

 another form of American plantigrades, with man- 

 ners, locomotive organs, and dentition, not far dif- 

 ferent from the preceding, but possessed of one 

 characteristic quite peculiar, and that is, the hahit 

 of moistening with water whatever it uses for food ; 

 the practice must, however, be taken in a restricted 

 sense, since, in a wild condition, Racoons often find- 

 ing their prey in trees, cannot possibly be believed 

 to descend for the purpose of washing it. Their 

 dentition is , {-{, - = 40, whereof the three 

 first molars are pointed, the three following tu- 

 bercular. They are robust, and in habit nearest 

 approaching true bears, though their limbs are com- 

 paratively slender ; they have the tail shorter by 

 nearly one half than coatis, still ringed like them, 

 but the cranial part of the head is much wider, and 

 their legs comparatively higher. The native Indians 

 call them by names denoting depressed dogs. In 

 captivity they become tame and playful, but never 

 domesticated nor particularly attached ; they ascend 

 trees with the greatest facility, and, in North Ame- 

 rica, are an object of sport much relished. The 

 species most commonly seen, is the 



Procyon lotor. The Common Racoon of North 

 America. It is a tenant of the woods and plains, 

 abounding in trees. The fur is usually of a deep 

 greyish-ash, produced by the different coloured rings 

 on each hair ; below, the colours are lighter, in 

 this respect departing from the common livery of 

 B) whose limbs are usually dark ; the face is 



