QUADKUPEDS. 39 



more than eight inches long. The female is larger than the male 

 in every respect, at least such is the fact in relation to the raccoons 

 now in my possession, which, however, have not yet attained their 

 full growth. They are of the same age, and the female is strongly 

 distinguished from the male by the black markings on all parts 01 

 the body being more purely black, and the fur and hair longer, 

 thicker, and more glossy than that of the male ; these peculiarities, 

 in addition to her greater size, uniformly lead strangers to suppose 

 this individual to be the male, instead of the female. The pelage 

 of the male is not only less purely black at the extremities of the 

 hairs, but there is a much greater intermixture of fawn-colored 

 hair than in the female, giving more of a rusty appearance to the 

 whole surface of his body. A young raccoon of thirty days old 

 is about the size of a common cat of a year old, though the greater 

 length of its legs and the bushiness of its pelage, make it at first 

 sight appear much larger. 



The general color of the body is a blackish gray, which is paler 

 on the under part of the body, and has over considerable part of 

 the neck, back and sides, some fawn or light rust-colored hair in- 

 termixed. The general gray color is owing to the manner in 

 which the hairs are alternately ringed with black and dingy 

 white. The tail is very thickly covered with hair, and is marked 

 by five or six black rings round it, on a yellowish white ground. 



The head, which is about five inches long, is very triangular, 

 and from its pointed snout reminds us of the aspect of the fox : 

 the snout terminates in a smooth and shining black membrane, 

 through which the nostrils open, having the slit to rise slightly at 

 the sides. The nose is prolonged considerably beyond the upper 

 jaw, and this, together with its great flexibility, gives the animal 

 great advantages in exploring little crevices and crannies for in- 

 sects, &c. The pupils of the eyes are round ; the ears are oval, or 

 rather elliptic, and of a yellowish white color on their extremities 

 and anterior edges. The face is whitish, in front, but there is a 

 black patch surrounding the eye, that descends entirely to the 

 lower jaw, over the posterior part of which it is diffused, and a 

 black line running from the top of the head down the middle 

 of the face, ending below the eyes. The rest of the hair between 

 the eyes, the ears, and eye-brows, is almost entirely white, and di- 

 rected downwards. The hair on the muzzle is usually very short ; 

 on the feet also, and on one-half of the legs ; the short hair of the 



