BEARS — RA CCO ON 



3 2 7 



(U. horribilis) appears, however, to be a distinct species, characterised by its com- 

 paratively straight and whitish fore-claws, and the generally grey colour of the fur. 

 It is now nearly exterminated. An allied type is the Barren Ground bear (U. h. 

 richardsoni). Gribble Island, off the coast of British Columbia, is the home of a 

 white, or rather cream-coloured, bear ( U. kermodei), allied to the American black bear 

 noticed in the next chapter. 



Raccoon. 



RACCOON 



With the rac- 

 coons we reach a 

 family of Carnivora all the 

 members of which, with the 

 exception of the two Asiatic 

 pandas, are exclusively Ameri- 

 can. The Canadian representa- 

 tive of the group is the common 

 raccoon (Procyon lotor), an 

 animal about 26 inches long, 

 exclusive of the 10- inch tail, 

 which is whitish with five black rings and a black tip. The general colour of the 

 coat is dark brownish grey, but it varies considerably in different localities. Such 

 local variations have afforded grounds for dividing the species into several races. 

 Inclusive of these local phases, the range of the species extends from Canada 

 through the United States to California on the west and Florida on the east. The 

 northern Pacific form, inhabiting the Cascade Mountains of Washington and 

 Oregon, is distinguished as P. /. pacificus, and the pale form from the Colorado 

 desert of California as P. I. pallidas . During the day raccoons for the most part 

 lie asleep in the hollows of trees, and it is not till the shades of evening begin to 

 fall that they descend from such shelter to the ground in search of food. Their 



