76 ANIMALS IN MENAGERIES. 



much injury to the canes. The sense of smell appears 

 to be particularly acute. M. Fred. Cuvier^ speaking of 

 a living specimen which he describes in the Paris me- 

 nagerie^ says, that its nose is in perpetual motion_, as 

 it is applied to every object presented to its notice, as if 

 the animal intended to feel by it : the snout is obviously 

 of considerable use in assisting the animal to hunt after 

 earthworms and underground insects, in which occu- 

 pation he uses his fore paws for digging; with these also 

 he conveys his food to his mouth, not in the manner 

 of monkeys, but by digging his nails into the food. In 

 climbing, also, the fore paws are much used : in descend- 

 ing, he always came down head foremost, using the nails 

 of the hinder ones as hooks ; for which purpose they are 

 capable of being greatly bent inwards. Its voice is de- 

 scribed as like a gentle hissing when pleased, and as 

 very shrill and piercing when influenced by pain or 

 displeasure. Its smell is strong and disagreeable. The 

 tail is always carried in an elevated position. 



This species is subject to so much variation in colour, 

 that we see no evidence, sufficiently strong, for consider- 

 ing the red and the brown coati of the French writers 

 as distinct species. Even M. Fred. Cuvier, who appears 

 to have had living specimens of both before his eyes, 

 appears to us entirely to have failed in establishing a 

 specific difference ; indeed, this very able zoologist de- 

 clares, after the most minute comparison, that he can 

 detect no difference between them but colour. As to 

 the brown coati, it appears that it seldom happens that 

 two specimens are ever found ahke ; and every variety 

 of shade, between brown and fawn-colour, may be 

 traced : in most of these there is a white line along the 

 nose, and three other white spots round the eye. The 

 tail varies greatly ; it is sometimes entirely black, but 

 is more frequently covered with alternate rings of deep 

 brown and fawn-colour. 



The fawn-coloured variety is chiefly found towards 

 Paraguay. A specimen then living in the Paris me- 

 nagerie enabled M. Cuvier to observe the following 



