72 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Form. — In general appearance this animal resembles a sharp- 

 nosed raccoon (Procyon lot or), even more than its nearest 

 relative, Nyctereates procyonoides. Its back is highly arched, 

 its head is carried rather low, and its tail has a very raccoon-like 

 droop. The feet are small and delicately formed, and the front 

 feet in particular are short and weak. Although the claws are 

 long, they are slender, remarkably straight, and have little 

 strength, either for offense or defense. The ears are short, and 

 in shape most nearly resemble those of the arctic fox. As a 

 whole, this animal is not physically robust, nor is it vicious in 

 temper. On the contrary, it has taken kindly to its keepers and 

 captivity. Its teeth are small and weak, and it is poorly equipped 

 for self-preservation. It requires a home that is not overrun by 

 bears, wolves, foxes, or the larger members of the Family Muste- 

 lidae; and very probably it inhabits moist lowlands, rather than 

 dry and rugged mountains. 



Colors. — Excepting upon the feet and lower half of the legs, 

 the pelage is like that of a small arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus). 

 The entire neck, body, legs, feet and tail are pure white. On each 

 side of the head is a large and conspicuous triangular patch of 

 blackish-brown hair, of which the eye is the culminating point, 

 suggestive of the dark cheek-patch of the common raccoon. 

 From the eye, this dark patch extends backward over the lower 

 half of the cheek, and forward along the side of the muzzle two- 

 thirds of the distance from the eye to the end of the nose. The 

 top of the muzzle is white, and the upper lip shows a light- 

 colored blending of brown and white. The forehead is white, 

 but the side of the head, between the ear and the dark cheek- 

 patch, is a dusky mixture of white and brown hairs. 



The ear is conspicuously dark, the edge being quite black. 

 The back of the ear is light brown, but the interior is partly filled 

 with long, light-colored hairs. 



Pelage. — On the neck, body, tail and thighs the pelage is dense 

 and fine, and consists of two coats. On the upper surface the in- 

 ner coat is very fine and woolly, and about one inch long. The 

 outer coat is two inches long, straight, and of coarser texture, as 

 is usual in a rain-coat. The hair on the tail is abundant, but ends 

 abruptly at the tip, like a tail artificially shortened. The pelage 

 on the lower half of each leg is exceedingly scanty. The feet 

 are very thinly haired, as if this creature had been specially 

 fitted for life in swamps and tundras, where frequent wad- 

 ing in water is necessary. The claws are long, slender, white or 

 pinkish. On the abdomen the pelage is about one-half the length 



