SPECTACLED BEAR — SMALLER CARNLVORA 363 



short ears, a long body, and short legs. In colour it is dark brown. A second 

 species, 8. rivetti, inhabits Ecuador. 



The only member of its tribe, inhabiting South America is the 

 spectacled bear (Ursus ornatus), of the Chilian Andes, a black 

 species marked on the face with spectacle-like brownish yellow rings. It is 

 a relatively small animal, apparently allied to the Malay species. In Bolivia 

 it is represented by a distinct race {U. ornatus majori). This bear is clearly an 

 immigrant from the north. 



Raccoon and South America abounds in members of the raccoon group. 



cacomisties. Among these a representative of the typical genus, the crab-eating 



raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), inhabits Colombia and Guiana and, in the form of 



a dark-footed race, Brazil and Paraguay. Somewhat larger than the common 



raccoon, it has bigger teeth and shorter fur, but seems to be of similar 



habits. 



The cacomisties are nearly related to the raccoons, but of slighter build, with 



more pointed muzzles and longer tails. One species is limited to Central America, 



the second (Bassaricus astwtus), of which several local races are recognised, ranges 



through Mexico into the United States. 



Nearly related to the cacomisties are the coatis, easily recognised 

 coatis. J > j o 



by their extremely elongated and somewhat up-turned muzzles, com- 

 pressed bodies, and long tails, as well as by their long and powerful claws. Of the 

 numerous species, the white-nosed coati (Nasua nasica), which inhabits Mexico 

 and Central America, is reddish brown in colour with a white nose and upper lip ; 

 while the red coati (N. rufa), said to range from Surinam to Paraguay, is 

 a brighter red, and has the tail ringed with rufous. Both feed on fruits, insects, 

 birds' eggs, young birds, and lizards. 



The last representative of the group, the kinkajou (Cercoleptes 



caudivolvulus), is about the size of an ordinary cat, and specially 

 distinguished by its prehensile tail and its unusually elongated tongue. In colour 

 it is yellowish brown. Inhabiting the mountain-forests which extend from 

 central Mexico to the Rio Negro in Brazil, the kinkajou is a nocturnal and arboreal 

 creature, feeding on fruits, honey, birds and their eggs, and small mammals. 



Of the aquatic Carnivora, the Brazilian otter (Lutra brasiliensis) 



is far the largest of its genus, measuring over 40 inches in length, 



exclusive of the tail, which is 23 inches long. This species is characterised by the 



presence of a ridge along the upper and lower border of the tail, and, unlike other 



otters, hunts entirely by day. In contrast to the last, the pigmy Chilian otter 



(L. felina) is one of the smallest of its tribe, and peculiar from the circumstance 



that it passes the greater portion of its time in the sea. Common on the west 



coast of Chile, this species extends northwards into Peru and Ecuador, and 



southwards to the Strait of Magellan, where its range meets that of the 



Brazilian otter. 



Skunks of the genus Conepatus abound in South America, 

 Skunks 



among them being the large and heavily built white-backed 



C. mapurito. The species are chiefly distinguished from one another by the 



extent of white on the back, which is otherwise dark brown or black. 



