RACCOON-DOG. 



555 



and thus earning its common English title. It is stated that these animals will 

 collect in packs and ruu down and kill deer ; and they do much damage to poultry 

 in inhabited districts. Although when hunting in the woods thej^ follow their 

 prey by scent, it is stated that when in the open they hunt by sight. 



The largest and handsomest of the South American fox-like 

 species, is the colpeo (('. raagellanicxis), from Tierra del Fuego and 

 Chili. This is somewhat superior in size to the largest individuals of the j^receding 

 species, from which it is distinguished by its longer and more pointed nose, and the 

 great length of the more bushy tail. The coloration is, moreover, generally of a 

 more decidedly reddish hue. Like the other species, there is considerable individual 

 variation both as regards the colour and length of the fur. Generally, however, 

 the sides of the body are brownish grey, while the back is mottled with black, and 

 the limbs are more or less rufous ; the cheeks, throat, under surface of the lower 

 jaw, and the under-parts being yellowish-white. The ears are dark externally ; 

 while the bushy tail is of a light reddish grey, except the tip and a patch on the 

 upper surface near the root, which are black. The colpeo. as Darwin remarks, 

 inhabits alike the moist forests of Tierra del P'uego and the ari<l deserts of Xorthern 

 Chili. It is very destructive to poultry ; and, though to a large extent nocturnal, 

 may frequently be seen during the daytime. 



Oar knowledge of the very remarkable species known as the 

 ' short-eared dog (C. inicrotis) is limited to a single specimen, formerly 

 exhibited in the London Zoological Society's Gardens, and believed to have come 

 from the valley of the Amazon. This animal was about the size of medium 

 individuals of the crab-eating dog, measuring 42 inches in total length, of which 

 12 are occupied by the tail, and standing about 14 inches at the shoulder. It 

 differs from the other members of the family, except the next, by its short and 

 rounded ears, which communicate to the face a physiognomy quite different from 

 that of all other wild dogs. It is further noticeable for its coloration, the fur 

 being short and thick and generally of a dark iron-grey hue, the individual hairs 

 being black at the tips and white near their roots. The limbs and bush}- tail are 

 nearly black, but the latter has a curious white patch on the under surface near 

 the root. The ears and snout are i-ufous. 



The Raccoon-Dog (Canis procyonoides). 



This curiously-coloui-ed and .short-eared species is an undoubted dog, and comes 

 nearest to the South American forms described above. It receives its title from a 

 supposed resemblance to a raccoon, but it must be confessed that it requires a 

 considerable amount of imagination to see the likeness. The raccoon-dog inhabit.s 

 Japan, China, and Amurland, and is characterised by the sharp and pointed 

 muzzle, the shoi-t rounded ears, the rather short and bushy tail, and the great 

 length of its fur, more especially during the winter. There is much individual 

 variation in colour, the prevailing tints being dusky-yellow and black, but the 

 proportions in which the two occur differing greatly. Black is, however, always 

 present on the cheeks and around the eyes, extending forwards to the muzzle, 

 where there is a white spot below the nose on each side. The sides of the head 



