440 



THE COATIMONDI. 



swiftness that it moves upon the plain, and 

 sports among the most extreme brandies 

 with great agility, security, and ease; it 

 moves forward chiefly by bounding, and 

 though it proceeds in an oblique direction, 

 it has speed enough most frequently to es- 

 cape its pursuers. 



This animal is a native of the southern 

 parts of America, nor have any travellers 

 mentioned its being found in the ancient con- 

 tinent. But in the climates of which it is a 

 native, it is found in noxious abundance, par- 

 ticularly in Jamaica, where it keeps in the 

 mountains, and where it often descends to 

 feed upon the plantations of sugar-cane. 

 The planters of these climates consider these 

 animals as one of their greatest miseries ; they 

 have contrived various methods of destroying 

 them, yet still they propagate in such numbers 

 that neither traps nor fire-arms can set them 

 free ; so that a swarm of these famished crea- 

 tures are found to do more injury in a single 



night, than the labours of a month can repair. 

 But though, when wild, they are thus trou- 

 blesome, in a state of tameness no animal is 

 more harmless or amusing ; they are capable 

 of being instructed in various little amusing 

 tricks. The racoon is playful and cleanly, 

 and is very easily supported ; it eats of every 

 thing that is given it, and, if left to itself, no 

 cat can be a better provider; it examines every 

 corner, eats of all flesh, either boiled or raw, 

 eggs, fruits, or corn; insects themselves can- 

 not escape it, and, if left at liberty in a gar- 

 den, it will feed upon snails, worms, and bee- 

 tles; but it has a particular fondness for 

 sweets of every kind, and to be possessed 

 of these, in its wild state, it incurs every dan- 

 ger. Though it will eat its provisions dry, 

 it will for choice dip them in water, if it hap- 

 pens to be in the way. It has one pecu- 

 liarity which few other animals have been 

 found to possess it drinks as well by lap- 

 ping like the dog, as by sucking like the horse^ 



CHAPTER LXX. 



THE COATIMONDI. 



THE first peculiarity with which this ani- 

 mal strikes the spectator, is the extreme 

 length of its snout, which, in some measure, 

 resembles that of the hog, but elongated to 

 a surprising degree, it bears some distant re- 

 semblance to the animal last described, ex- 

 cept that the neck and the body are longer, 

 the fur shorter, and the eyes smaller; but its 

 principal distinction, as was said before, con- 

 sists in the shape of its nose; the upper 

 jaw being an inch longer than the lower, 

 and the snout, which is moveable in every 

 division, turning up at the end. Like the 

 racoon, it sits up on the hinder legs with great 

 ease, and, in this position, with both paws car- 

 ries the food to its mouth. 



This animal is very subject to eat its own 

 tail, which is rather longer than its body : 

 but this strange appetite is not peculiar 



to the coati alone ; the mococo, and some 

 of the monkey kinds, do the same, and seem 

 to feel no pain in wounding a part of the 

 body so remote from the centre of circula- 

 tion. 



It seems possessed of the same playful 

 qualities, and indiscriminate appetites, with 

 the animal described in the last chapter ; if 

 left at liberty in a state of tameness, it will 

 pursue the poultry, and destroy every living 

 thing that it has strength to conquer; though 

 it is playful with its keeper, yet it seems ob- 

 stinately bent against receiving any instruc- 

 tion, and neither threats nor caresses can 

 induce it to practise any arts to which it is 

 not naturally inclined. When it sleeps, it 

 rolls itself up in a lump, and in that position 

 often continues for fourteen or fifteen hours 

 together. 



