THE RACOON 243 



and its black and white fur and the bushy white tail, 

 carried erect when disturbed, form what Mr. Wallace 

 i-egards as danger signals by which it is easily dis- 

 tinguished in twilight or moonlight from other animals. 

 Its sense that it needs but to be seen to be avoided gives 

 it, he thinks, that slowness of motion and fearlessness of 

 aspect for which it is remarkable. 



We have already seen how, among the civet tribe, there 

 is a form, the cynogale, specially modified for aquatic 

 life. Among the weasels there is also a form thus 

 modified, namely, the well-known otters. They are all 

 long-bodied, long-tailed animals, with flattened heads 

 and short limbs, which have webbed toes, furnished 

 with small, blunt claws. Otters, of which there are 

 some sixteen species, are spread over the whole earth 

 save in the Austi-alian region. Most expert swimmers 

 and divers, feeding almost exclusively on fish, which, when 

 captured, they bring to shore to devour, they are rarely 

 met with far from water. The most extremely modified 

 form is found now^here but on the rocky shores of 

 certain parts of the North Pacific Ocean, especially the 

 Aleutian Isles, Alaska, and down to Oregon. It is 

 clothed in beautiful soft fur, which is so valued that 

 much danger exists of the absolute extermination of the 

 whole species. They feed on clams, mussels, and sea 

 urchins, of which they are very fond, and which they 

 break by striking the shells together while held in each 

 fore paw, sucking out the contents as they are fractured 

 by these efi'orts ; they also undoubtedly eat crabs and 

 the juicy, tender fronds of seaweed, and sometimes, no 

 doubt, also fish. 



The only predaceous animals which it now remains to 

 refer to are the creatures of the dog tribe — the dogs, 

 jackals, wolves, and foxes, The structure of these animals 



