X 



A LITTLE BROTHER OF THE BEAR 



THE raccoon is a truly American animal, even to 

 its name. Captain John Smith, in his report upon 

 Virginia, mentions "a beast they call Aroughcun, 

 much like a badger, but vseth to Hue on trees 

 as Squirrels doe." The rapid Americans quickly 

 shortened these sonorous syllables to " raccoon," 

 with the emphasis thrown strongly on the last 

 syllable, and now we usually cut even that down 

 to 'coon. 



Truly if you were to dock his tail to a mere 

 scut, and not compare the markings on his face 

 too closely, he is " much like a badger " as the 

 observant Smith said ; but this is an accidental 

 and outward likeness soon forgotten, for the sharp, 

 flexible nose, the delicate, flat-soled feet, the arched 

 hind quarters, and the long ringed tail quickly im- 

 press themselves upon a new acquaintance. You 

 soon see that he is really a miniature Bruin 

 "that brief summary of a bear," as Burroughs 

 styles him. In fact the early zoologists simply 

 put him in the genus Ursus, and had done with 

 it; but closer examination of his anatomy, while 

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