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A LITTLE BROTHER OF THE BEAR 
THE raccoon is a truly American animal, even to 
its name. Captain John Smith, in his report upon 
Virginia, mentions “a beast they call Aroughcun, 
much like a badger, but vseth to liue on trees 
as Squirrels doe.” The rapid Americans quickly 
shortened these sonorous syllables to “raccoon,” 
with the emphasis thrown strongly on the last 
syllable, and now we usually cut even that down 
to ’coon. 
Truly if you were to dock his tail to a mere 
scut, and not compare the markings on his face 
too closely, he is “much like a badger”'as the 
observant Smith said; but this is an accidental 
and outward likeness soon forgotten, for the sharp, 
flexible nose, the delicate, flat-soled feet, the arched 
hind quarters, and the long ringed tail quickly im- 
press themselves upon a new acquaintance. You 
soon see that he is really a miniature Bruin — 
“that brief summary of a bear,” as Burroughs 
styles him. In fact the early zodlogists simply 
put him in the genus Ursus, and had done with 
it; but closer examination of his anatomy, while 
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