140 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



THE CACOMISTLE 



(Bassaris astuta) 



THIS pretty little animal, about the size of a small Cat, is remarkable 

 for its long thickly-furred tail, ringed with black and white. Its coat 

 is grey, and its face rather fox-like; the claws are somewhat retractile. 

 It is found in Mexico and Central America, and is an omnivorous 

 nocturnal tree-climber. It is often tamed, and makes a charming pet, 

 but only one has ever found its way to our Zoo. There is another 

 species (Bassaris sumichrastf), which much resembles the common one. 



THE PANDA 



(sElurus fulgens) 



THE Panda is the only member of the 'Coon and Coati family which 

 is found out of America, being a native of the Himalayas. It is a 

 thick-set animal about as big as a small Fox, with a short face like 

 a Cat ; the eyes, however, are small, not large and full like a Cat's 

 eyes. The tail is long and bushy, and all the fur very full, even on 

 the feet. The colour of the coat is very beautiful, a rich maroon-red, 

 shading into black below, and with white on the face ; the tail is ringed 

 with light and dark red. 



The Panda is, like all this family, a climber, but it appears to be 

 particularly vegetarian, feeding mostly on fruit and leaves, especially 

 bamboo-shoots. In accordance with this habit, its teeth are more 

 adapted for grinding vegetable food than those of other carnivores, and 

 its canines are small ; it is also very slow and harmless for a beast of 

 the carnivorous order. 



Being uncommon, and very intolerant of heat, so that it can only 

 be brought down to the Indian sea-coast during the winter season, it 

 is seldom seen in captivity even in India; but I once saw a beautiful 

 specimen in Calcutta, and one or two have reached the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens. 



