84 



KNOWLEDGE cS: SCIENTIFIC; NEWS. 



[Apkii,, 1905. 



A White Raccoon Dog. 



A New Species. 



By Emile GbARiNi. 

 This strange specimen of dog was obtained by Captain 

 Golding in Nagasaki, Japan, of a native dealer in live 

 animals, who was unable to give its history, and could 

 only state that it came from the northern portion of 

 Japan. It bore a slight resemblance to an immature 

 Arctic fox, but it was at once apparent that the creature 

 was not a fox, and during the 15 months it has lived in 

 the Zoological Park, of .\ew York, it has not under- 



weak. Although the claws are long, they are slender, 

 remarkably straight, and have little strength, either for 

 offence or defence. The ears are short, and in shape 

 most nearly resemble those of the .'\rctic fox. As a 

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

 vicious in temper. 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, &c., 

 and very probably it inhabits moist lowlands rather 

 than dry and rugged mountains. The feet are very 

 thinly haired as if this creature had been specially fitted 

 for life in swamps and tundras, where frequent wading 

 in water is necessary. 



On the neck, body, tail, and thighs the pelage is 

 dense and fine, and consists of two coats. On the 



\\ hiLc ka^L.,.jii IJu;: 



gone any noteworthy change in pelage, nor has it 

 perceptibly increased in size. It therefore seems con- 

 clusive that the creature is adult, and that its colours 

 are constant throughout the year. An examination of 

 its external characters revealed an unmistakable re- 

 semblance to the raccoon dog of Japan and China, but 

 it is not an albino individual of this well-known species. 

 There appears to be no escape from the conclusion that 

 this specimen represents a species hitherto unknown. 



In general form this animal resembles a sharp-nosed 

 raccoon. Its weight is 7^ pounds, its length of head 

 and body 21 inches, the height at shoulders being 10.29 

 inches. The tail is 6.29 inches to end of vertebra;, and 

 8 inches to end of hair. The 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 



upper surface the inner 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. On the abdomen the pelage is about one-half 

 the length of that on the upper surface, and consists 

 chiefly of the fine woolly under-fur. Excepting upon 

 the feet and lower half of the legs, the pelage is like 

 that of a small .Arctic fox. 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, the top of the muzzle is white, and 

 the upper lip shows a light-coloured blending of brown 

 and white. The forehearl is white; the ear is conspicu- 

 ously dark, the edge being quite black. 



