UNCOMMON PETS. 
A series of articles on the Care and Keep of Animals in Captivity. 
By P. WELLINGTON FARMBOROUGH, F.Z.S., F.E.S., ete. 
Il. THE RACCOON. 
ING a pet this animal has many admirers, and justly so, for after it has become 
well accustomed to its owner it dispenses with those spiteful ways which 
characterize the newly-purchased individual. Its peculiar habits, too, make it ex- 
tremely interesting, as, for example, that of wetting and washing its food before 
meals in any water which may be conveniently near. There are two species of 
‘coons, one being the common raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the other the crab-eating 
raccoon (Procyon cancrivorous). Of these two species, however, the first-named is 
by far the commoner and is more -widely distributed, ranging from Canada almost 
as far south as the Argentine Republic. The crab-eating raccoon is practically confined 
to the tropical Americas—say from central America to no farther south than the 
northern limits of Brazil. Both species 
are much persecuted for their beautiful fur, 
which is no doubt familar to my readers 
as the fur which is chiefly used for the 
small carriage-rug for the feet as a whole 
skin; but it is also used for a host of 
other purposes. 
Raccoons are not by any means ex- 
pensive to purchase, thirty shillings being 
a fai medium price for one of these 
animals; the crab-eating species is, if 
anything, the dearer of the two kinds, 
but not by more than five shillings. 
: : There ave usually plenty in the various 
Ee ~ = «Ss dealers’ hands, such as Cross, of Liverpool, 
<< SUG : === Jamrach’s, of London, or Karl Hagenbeck, 
of Hamburg, and an enquiry from a 
would-be purchaser of any of these would 
result in a satisfactory response, or a short 
advertisement in the columns of this paper probably lead to an embarras de richesse. 
Before, however, purchasing the animal it is always advisable to have its cage or 
other permanent habitation quite ready for its reception on arrival, as nothing is more 
harmful than keeping any animal in a small travelling cage in which it has, no 
doubt, been cramped up into a small compass during a journey of possibly a couple 
of hundred miles, or even more. The cage ought to be of fair size, not less than 
four feet long, and proportionately high and broad, with a strong wire front, and doors 
sufficiently large to enable the interior to be easily and quickly got at for cleaning 
purposes. In consequence of the great splashing of water caused by the peculiar washing 
habits of the animal, it is necessary that the floor of the cage be protected by a 
covering of thin zinc; this is a small job that any tin-smith will do for a half-crown 
or so. The water vessel should be large and as heavy as possible, so that the ’coon 
cannot overturn it, a trick which certaim individuals of this species are much given to, 
and one, too, that affords the perpetrator the most lively satisfaction. 
Raccoons are almost omnivorous, with perhaps a partiality for a vegetarian diet ; 
but as variety in diet is beneficial to these as well as to all other kinds of animals, 
235 
A PET RACCOON. 
