CARNIVORA. 579 



{Ailurus), and the Kinkajou {Cercoleptes) are the best knowii. 

 The Racoons are natives of tropical and northern America, 

 and have a decided external resemblance to the Bears. They 

 have tolerably long tails, however, and sharp muzzles. The 

 commonest species is the Procyon lotor of North America, which 

 derives its specific name from its habit of washing its food 

 before eating it The place of the Racoon is taken in India 

 by the Wah {Ailurus fulgens)j which inhabits northern Hindo- 

 stan. It is about the size of a large domestic cat, and is very 

 prettily coloured, being chestnut brown above, and black in- 

 feriorly, with a white face and ears. The Kinkajous {Cerco- 

 leptes) are inhabitants of South America, and, as is the case 

 with so many of the animals of this continent, they are adapted 

 for an arboreal life, to which end their tails are prehensile. 

 The Coatis {Nasua) axe. very closely allied to the Racoons, 

 and are exclusively confined to the American continent. All 

 the above-mentioned little animals (with the exception of the 

 Wah) present a singularly close resemblance to the Lemurs of 

 the Old World, and appear to be their representatives in the 

 western hemisphere. In the genus Paradoxurus of the Indian 

 Archipelago, the tail is capable of being rolled up, but its ex- 

 tremity is not prehensile. The " Benturongs" {Ardictis) have 

 a long, hairy, and prehensile tail. They are nocturnal animals 

 which are found in India, and are in some respects inter- 

 mediate between the Racoons and the Civets. 



The only remaining family of the Plantigrada is that of the 

 MelidcR or Badgers, characterised by their elongated bodies 

 and short legs, and by the fact that the carnassial tooth has a 

 partly cutting edge, and is not wholly tuberculate as in the 

 Bears. 



The common Badger {Meles taxus), which may be regarded 

 as the type of this group, occurs in Britain, and is one of the 

 mostinoffensive of animals. It is nocturnal in its habits, and 

 is a very miscellaneous feeder, not refusing anything edible 

 which may come in its way, though living mainly on roots and 

 fruits. The Badger burrows with great ease, and can bite very 

 severely. The European Badger is represented in the United 

 States and Canada by the " Siffleur " {Meles Labradorictis), 

 and in the hilly parts of India by the Indian Badger (M. collaris). 

 The Glutton {Gulo luscus), often called the Wolverine, is of 

 common occurrence in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, 

 and America. It is from two to three feet in length, and 

 though doubtless a tolerably voracious animal, it is certainly 

 not so much so as to deserve the name of Glutton. The 

 Gnson {Gido 7nttatus) is a closely-allied species, which is found 



