110 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
in fact their most obvious and striking characteristic, are 
fully sufficient to distinguish them. In the Coatis this 
organ is produced in a most remarkable degree; and it 
is terminated by a muzzle so extremely flexible that, 
when the attention of the animal is excited, it is kept in 
constant action and moved about in all directions. 
The Coatis are barely equal in size to the common 
fox: they inhabit the woods of South America, and live 
upon fruits, insects, and reptiles, climbing trees in pur- 
suit of their prey with great agility. In captivity they 
are easily tamed, and are fond of being caressed; but 
exhibit no peculiar symptoms of attachment. 
Three supposed species have been described; but 
naturalists in general are at present inclined to admit of 
no more than two; and even with regard to these we 
have yet no sufficient proof that they are really more 
than strongly marked varieties. The one from which 
our figure was taken belongs to the brown kind, which 
is distinguished from the other chiefly by its darker 
colour both above and below, and by the blackness of 
the sides of its snout. The tails of both species are 
usually encircled by rings alternately black and fulvous ; 
and each has the eye surrounded by three white spots. 
