136 THE KACCOON-LIKE DOG. 



In captivity it accustoms itself pretty quickly to the presence of man, 

 remaining rather timid than savage, and it is extremely cleanly in its 

 habits. Its movements are somewhat like those of a civet, and it has a 

 habit of arching its back. After food it takes a long sleep, tightly rolled 

 up, so that head and paws are covered by its long hair, its respiratory 

 movements alone indicating that the round mass is really a living 

 animal. 



It is the most omnivorous of dogs, feeding freely and habitually on 

 vegetable substance, and largely on acorns. Fishes are eagerly eaten, 

 especially a kind of carp, of which it will devour eight or ten, always 

 biting them once in the head to make sure of them. In confinement, 

 if given fish and flesh, it will take the former and leave the latter, not 

 eating it, however, at first, save when it feels itself unobserved. 



It seldom hunts by day, when it is very timid, but takes the field at 

 night. Its voice is very peculiar. It does not bark like a fox, but 

 rather utters a growl, followed by a long-drawn melancholy whine. 

 When accustomed to confinement it will utter daily a very different kind 

 of sound when hungry, namely, a sort of mewing plaint. It does not 

 run fast, so that a dog easily overtakes it, and it has to resort to peculiar 

 manoeuvres to catch the mice which it pursues in summer. 



The Raccoon-like Dog has a very pointed muzzle, but short rounded 

 ears and bushy tail. Its coat is always extremely long and thick in 

 winter, but varies in its colouring considerably. Generally the prevailing 

 tint is a dusky yellow. The cheeks and around the eyes are black, and 

 thence forward to near the muzzle, where there is a white spot whence 

 the brown vibrissee take origin. The sides of the head are yellowish, 

 and the forehead may be so or dusky. The wide rounded ears are white 

 within or in part white externally, but the margin is brown. The chin 

 and front of the neck are brown. A yellowish collar may extend 

 upwards on either side to the shoulder. The whole dorsal region is 

 clothed with long hairs, which are black towards the tip, so that this 

 region is a mixture of black and yellow, and there is much variability 

 as to the amount of black on the back and the degree of its continuity. 

 The ends of the hairs on the flanks are mostly yellowish. The chest 

 and belly are brown, and may be almost black, and the legs are blackish 



