THE RACOON. 395 



wards the bottom ; the nose is rather shorter, and 

 more pointed than that of a fox j the eyes large 

 and yellow, the teeth resembling those of a dog, 

 the tail thick, but tapering towards a point, regu- 

 larly marked with rings of black, and at least as 

 long as the body ; the fore-feet are much shorter 

 than the hinder, both armed with five sharp claws, 

 with which, and his teeth, the animal makes a 

 vigorous resistance. Like the squirrel, it makes 

 use of its paws to hold its food while eating, but 

 it differs from the monkey kind, which use but 

 one hand on those occasions, whereas the racoon 

 and the squirrel use both, as, wanting the thumb, 

 their paws singly are unfit for grasping or hold- 

 ing. Though this animal be short and bulky, it 

 is however very active ; its pointed claws enable 

 it to climb trees with great facility ; it runs on 

 the trunk with the same swiftness that it moves 

 upon the plain, and sports among the most ex- 

 treme branches 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 escape its pur- 

 suers. 



This animal is a native of the southern parts of 

 America, nor have any travellers mentioned its 

 being found in the ancient continent. But in the 

 climates of which it is a native, it is found in 

 noxious abundance, particularly 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 : 



