OF WILD ANIMALS 19 



A Sample of Nervous Temperament. As an example 

 of temperament in small carnivores, we will cite the coati 

 mundi' of South America. It is one of the most nervous and 

 restless animals we know. An individual of sanguine tem- 

 perament rarely is seen. Out of about forty specimens with 

 which we have been well acquainted, I do not recall one 

 that was as quiet and phlegmatic as the raccoon, the nearest 

 relative of Nasua. With a disposition so restless and enter- 

 prising, and with such vigor of body and mind, I count it 

 strange that the genus Nasua has not spread all over our south- 

 eastern states, where it is surely fitted to exist in a state of 

 nature even more successfully than the raccoon or opossum. 



The temper of the coati mundi is essentially quarrelsome 

 and aggressive. While young, they are reasonably peaceful, 

 but when they reach adult age, they become aggressive, and 

 quarrels are frequent. Separations then are very necessary, 

 and it is rare indeed that more than two adult individuals 

 can be caged together. Even when two only are kept together, 

 quarrels and shrill squealings are frequent. But they seldom 

 hurt each other. The coati is not a treacherous animal, it is 

 not given to lying in wait to make a covert attack from am- 

 bush, and being almost constantly on the move, it is a good 

 show animal. 



The Strange Combative Temperament of the Gua- 

 naco. In appearance the guanaco is the personification of 

 gentleness. Its placid countenance indicates no guile, nor 

 means of offense. Its lustrous gazelle-like eyes, and its soft, 

 woolly fleece suggest softness of disposition. But in reality no 

 animal is more deceptive. In a wild state amongst its own 

 kind, or in captivity, — no matter how considerately treated, — 

 it is a quarrelsome and at times intractable animal. "A pair 

 of wild guanacos can often be seen or heard engaged in desper- 

 ate combat, biting and tearing, and rolling over one another 

 on the ground, uttering their gurgling, bubbling cries of rage. 

 Of a pair so engaged, I shot one whose tail had then been 



