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CHAPTER XL 

 RACOON FAMILY PANDA FAMILY WEASEL FAMILY FOSSIL CARNIVORA. 



THE RACOON FAMILY Characters of their Skull, Teeth, &c. Geographical Distribution THE RACOON Its Habit of 

 Washing its Food Its External Characters and Habits Racoon Hunting The Crab-eating Racoon THE COATI 

 THE KINKAJOU Its Lemur-like Appearance, Prehensile Tail, &c. THE CACOMIXLE THE PANDA FAMILY THE 

 PANDA Its Character and Habits The Ailuropus THE WEASEL FAMILY Anatomical Characters Tail-glands 

 Division of the Family into Three Sub-families-Importance of the Mustelidae as Fur-producing Animals THE 

 GLUTTON Its Characters Superstitions Regarding it Its Cunning THE MARTEN THE PEKAN THE SABLE THE 

 WEASEL THE STOAT, OR ERMINE The Difference between its Winter and Summer Dress, and the manner in which 

 the Change takes place THE POLECAT -THE FERRET THE MINK THE ORISON THE TAYRA THE RATEL THE 

 COMMON BADGER Its Habits Burrowing THE AMERICAN BADGER THE TELEDU THE CAPE ZORILLA THE 



COMMON SKUNK Its Noxious Secretion Hydrophobia produced by Skunk Bite The Little Striped Skunk The 



White-backed Skunk THE COMMON OTTER The Adaptation of its Structure to Aquatic Life Use of Tame Otters 

 for Fishing The Canadian Otter The Margined-tailed Otter THE SEA OTTER Its Affinities with the Seals How 

 it is Hunted GENERAL RELATIONS OF THE LAND CARNIVORA FOSSIL CARNIVORA The Tendency of these to bridge 

 over Existing Groups Appendix to Chapter VI. (Civet Family) THE CYNOGALE THE CYNICTIS THE MANGUE 

 THE SURICATE. 



THE RACOON FAMILY.* 



THIS is a small family of curious Bear-like animals, of small size, and differing a good deal in 

 external appearance, although agreeing closely in all essential particulai's. They are plantigrade, 

 like the Bears, and like them are quite devoid 

 of a blind-gut, or caecum. The skull is long- 

 snouted, and* though presenting certain resem- 

 blances to that of the Civets, has still the essen- 

 tial Arctoid characters, such as the well-marked 

 bony ear-passage, and the wide space between 

 the ear-drum bone and the bony projection on 

 the hinder part of the skull (paroccipital 

 process). A great difference from the Bear's 

 skull, is, however, seen in the swollen and bulb- 

 like ear-drum bone (bulla tympani), which is as SKULL OF RACOON 

 large as that of a Dog. 



The grinding-teeth have on their biting surfaces large and prominent tubercles, so that they are 



neither altogether of a crushing, nor altogether 

 of a mincing character. The molars bear a 

 considerable resemblance to the hinder molars 

 of the Dog; the canines are compressed from 

 side to side, have very sharp front and back 

 edges, and are somewhat outstanding. The 



number of the teeth is forty, t that is, two 

 less than in the Bears, the missing teeth being 

 the last upper molar of each side. 



The four genera of the Racoon family are found only in the New World ; their northern limit 

 is British Columbia, while southwards they reach to Paraguay in the central part of South America. 



HALF OF SKULL OF RACOON, UNDER VIEW. 



THE RACOON, t 



Every visitor to the Zoological Gardens must have been struck with the curious habits of this 

 animal. If any one gives it a bit of bun or biscuit, the Racoon holds out both its hands for 

 the morsel, and takes it almost as deftly as a Monkey; it then waddles off to the little pond in the 

 middle of its cage, dips its prize in the water, and when it is well soaked, proceeds to devour it; 

 Except in the case of meat, which the Racoon seems to consider moist enough, the food always has to 

 undergo this soaking process before it is thought to be fit to eat. It is from this habit that the 



Procyonidte. 

 72 



f The dental formula is Incisors, $rj; canines, j^p premolars, jrjj molars, 2 -2 = 



Procyon lotor. 



