THE REAR FAMILY— RACCOON. 



269 



The Coatis and The Coatis (Nasna) naturally follow 



Their Long the Raccoon and its companion. 



Noses. They are easily recognized by their 



long, slender, nearly Weasel-like body, their short 



neck and long, pointed head, their tail which equals 



over the mouth, and has sharp and upturned edges. 

 The ears are short and rounded, the eyes of medium 

 size, and the five toes are united and armed with 

 long and slightly curved claws. The teeth resemble 

 those of the Raccoon, but are more slender. 



THE COATI. In South America there is an animal resembling a Raccoon in many 



respects, but having a most striking and distinguishing feature in its long, proboscis-like 

 nose. This is the Coati, of which a group is here depicted. They are arboreal in their 

 habits and are appropriately shown disporting themselves on trees, and their method of 

 descending from the tree head first is also portrayed. (JVasua ru/a.) 



the body in length and is thickly grown with hair, 

 and their short, vigorous legs, furnished with broad 

 paws and naked soles. Their most prominent feat- 

 ure is the nose, which projects, proboscis-like, far 



Among the various species of Coatis 

 recognized by naturalists, only two are 

 differentiated in modern times. Not 

 only do the animals vary in physical 

 characteristics but they lead different 

 lives according to age, as Hensel has 

 distinctly proven. Prince von Wied 

 recognized two kinds in Brazil, the 

 Gregarious and the Solitary Coati, but 

 in the light of Hensel's researches 

 both are one and the same species; 

 for the Solitary Coatis are nothing but 

 old, sulky males which have separated 

 from the bands of the Gregarious Coa- 

 tis. It is, however, probably the case 

 that the two species which we will de- 

 scribe are correctly differentiated. 

 Characteristics The best known of 

 of the Red these species is the 

 Coati. Coati or Red Coati, 



called Cuassi in Guiana (Nasua ru/a). 

 Its range extends over a wide area of 

 country, from the north of South 

 America to Paraguay. Its length is 

 from forty to forty-two inches, about 

 eighteen of which go to the tail. The 

 height at the shoulders is eleven or twelve inches. 

 The thick, long, though not shaggy fur consists of 

 wiry, coarse, lustrous hair, longer on the tail than on 

 the body, and a short, soft, slightly curly, woolly 



