556 



CARNIVORES. 



are yellowish, and the forehead may be either of the same colour or blackish. 

 The ears have brown margins, but are white internally, and sometimes partially 

 so externally. The chin and front of the neck are brown, but, as in the 

 specimen on the right side of our illustration, a yellowish colour may extend 

 backwards towards the shoulders. The whole of the back has fur varying from a 

 mixture of black-and-yellow to nearly black, the individual hairs always having long 

 black tips. On the sides, the ends of the hair are yellowish ; and the chest and under- 

 parts vary from brown to nearly black, while the limbs are blackish brown. The 

 tail, on which the hairs are long and pendent, is frequently black above and at its 



THE RACCOON-DOG (| nat. size). 



extremity, while below it may be light yellow. The raccoon-dog is chiefly a 

 nocturnal animal, dwelling in summer in the wood-clad mountains, and in winter 

 descending to the neighbourhood of the river valleys, where it is said, when in 

 good condition, to hibernate. In Amurland, where it does not hibernate, it feeds 

 largely on fish during the winter, reposing during the day in the thick sedges 

 of the river banks. The asserted hibernation of this animal is a remarkable 

 feature, since no other member of the family takes a winter sleep. The hiber- 

 nation is said to take place in the deserted burrow* of a fox, or some other 

 animal; but it can also construct an earth of its own. The individuals which 

 do not hibernate may be seen in winter crossing the ice-bound rivers in a 

 succession of short jumps. The raccoon-dog is far from wary, and as it is almost 



