566 CARNIVORA 
crayfish, mussels, and fish, although they are unable to dive and 
pursue the latter under water, like the otter and mink. They are 
good swimmers, and do not hesitate to cross rivers that lie in their 
path. . . . The Raccoon hibernates during the severest part of the 
winter, retiring to its nest rather early, and appearing again in 
February or March, according to the earliness or lateness of the 
season. It makes its home high up in the hollow of some large 
tree, preferring a dead limb to the trunk itself. It does little in 
the way of constructing a nest, and from four to six young are 
commonly born at a time, generally early in April in this region. 
The young remain with the mother about a year.” 
The South-American P. cancrivorus, the Crab-eating Raccoon, is 
very similar to P. lotor, but differs by its much shorter fur, larger 
size, proportionally more powerful teeth, and other minor characters. 
It extends over the whole of South America, as far south as the Rio 
Negro, and is very common in all suitable localities. Its habits are 
similar to those of the North-American species. Fossil remains of 
Procyon have been described from the Pleistocene deposits of the 
United States. 
Bassaris.\—A. form closely allied to Procyon, but of more slender 
and elegant proportions, with a sharper nose, longer tail, and more 
digitigrade feet, and with teeth otherwise like, but smaller, and 
more sharply denticulated. It was formerly, but erroneously, placed 
among the Viverride. Two species :—B. astuta, from the southern 
parts of the United States and Mexico, and B. sumichrasti, from 
Central America. 
Bassaricyon.,—This name has been given to a distinct modifica- 
tion of the Procyonine type of which at present only two examples 
are known, one from Costa Rica and the other from Ecuador, which, 
appearing to be different species, have been named B. gabbi and 
B. allent. They much resemble the Kinkajou (Cercoleptes) in external 
appearance, but the skull and teeth are more like those of Procyon 
and Nasua. 
Nasua.2—Dentition as in Procyon, but the upper canines are 
larger and more strongly compressed, and the molars smaller. The 
facial portion of the skull is more elongated and narrow. Verte- 
bre: C7, D 14, L 6,8 3, C 22-23. Body elongated and rather 
compressed. Nose prolonged into a somewhat upturned, obliquely 
truncated, mobile snout. Tail long, non-prehensile, tapering, annu- 
lated. These animals, commonly called Coatis or Coati-Mundis, 
live in small troops of eight to twenty, are chiefly arboreal, and feed 
on fruits, young birds, eggs, insects, etc. Recent researches have 
reduced the number of supposed species to two, WN. narica of Mexico 
1 Lichtenstein, Isis, 1831, p. 512. 
* Allen, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sei. Philad, 1876, p. 20. 
® Storr, Prodromus Meth. Mamm. p. 35 (1780). 
