65 



the following anecdote, as it shows the prevalence of Bears as late as 1805 : 

 " One day during the same year (1806), two of the children of John 

 Spencer were playing in the yard of the cabin at the ' Big Spring,' 

 when a huge Bear came along, and seized a pig near them and made off 

 with it. Had Bruin selected the youngest of those children, instead of 

 the pig, the career of the late Colonel William Spencer would have been 

 cut short." 



FAMILY PROCYONIDiE. 



The characters of this family, as distinguished from the Bears, are 

 sufficiently indicated under the genus Procyon. There is one upper true 

 molar less on each side than in Ursidse. The last premolar of upper jaw 

 and first molar of lower jaw are tubercular. The tail is moderately long, 

 and the muzzle pointed. Aelurus, F. Cuvier, and Cercoleptes, Illiger, are 

 the typical genera of the closely allied families 'formerly included with 

 the Raccoons, in Ursidse, but now separated, with the family names Aelur- 

 idse and Cercoleptidse {Arctoidea procyoniformia. Gill). 



Genus Peocyon Storr. 



Generic Characters.- — The Raccoons have the body stout; tail well devel- 

 oped (as opposed to Ursidse); muzzle somewhat pointed. Dentition: 

 1 i-a • P > -1. • nm ^-^ ■ m ^'^ — 40 



'■• ^F> '^- T-T) 1>UJ- 4-4) ^^- 2-2 ^"■ 



The smaller size, longer tail, more pointed muzzle, less number of teeth 

 readily separate the Raccoons from the Bears, to which they are allied' 

 by the tubercular teeth, plantigrade walk, and naked soles. The 

 gensral shape is not unlike that of the badger; it is higher on the legs. 

 The head is broad and depressed, the muzzle pointed to the truncate end. 

 The whiskers are in four principal series, of five or six in each; there is 

 a tuft over the eye, one at the angle of the jaw, and one under the mid- 

 dle of the chin. The ears are rather large; rounded above. They are 

 covered with hair, except about the meatus. The tail is covered with 

 hair and marked with alternate rings of black and whitish ; the verte- 

 brae of the tail are about half the length of the head and body. The 

 toes are without webbing, and are cleft nearly to the bases of the hand 

 and foot. The five-toed feet have naked soles from the wrist and heel ; 

 the skin of the sole is highly papillose, and doubtless highly tactile. 

 There are no raised pads ; narrow, deep furrows, however, cross the under 

 surface, as in the cats and weasels. The claws are curved, non-retractile, 

 moderately sharp ; they are nearly equal in all the feet. 



In our species, the third and fourth toes are sub- equal, and longest 

 6 



