M A M M A L I A — C O A T I. 



117 



tliis servant, he became enraged, and with sparkling eyes would spring towards 

 him, making violent outcries; under such circumstances, he would accept 

 of nothing, until his enemy had with drawn. The voice of the raccoon, when 

 enraged, is very singular, sometimes resembling the whistling of a curlew, 

 and at others the hoarse barking of an old dog. When struck by any one, 

 or attacked by an animal stronger than himself, he otfered no resistance ; 

 like the hedge-hog, he hid his head and paws, by rolling his body in form 

 of a ball, and would have suffered death in that position. I have observed 

 that he never left hay nor straAV in his bed, preferring to sleep on the 

 boards; when litter was given, he threw it away immediately. He did not 

 seem very sensible to cold, and passed two out of three winters exposed to 

 all the rigors of the season, and did well, notwithstanding he was frequently 

 covered with snow. I do not think he was solicitous to receive warmth ; 

 during some frosts, I gave him separately v/arm water and water almost 

 frozen, to soak his food in, and he always preferred the latter. He was at 

 liberty to sleep in the stable, but often preferred passing the night in the 

 open yard." 



THE BROWN COATI.i 



This animal, of which we are now about to treat, many authors have 

 called coatimundi. It is very different from the animal described in the pre- 

 ceding article. It is of a smaller size than the raccoon ; its body and neck, 

 its head and nose, are of a more lengthened form ; its upper jaw is an inch, 

 or an inch and a half longer than the lower one ; and its snout, which is 

 moveable in every direction, turns up at the point. The eyes of the coati 

 are also smaller than the eyes of the raccoon, and are surrounded by three 



1 Nasua fusca. The genus Nasua has six upper and six lower incisors ; two upper 

 and two lower canines ; twelve upper and twelve lower molars. Lower incisors on the 

 same line ; three posterior molars, tuberculous ; feet pentadactyle, armed with strong 

 naiJs ; nose much prolonged and moveable ; tail long ; six ventral mammae. 



