42 



OKDEES OP MAMMALS— FLESH-EATEES 



was appropriate, and entitled to use. Let it be 

 so called henceforth, and the misnomers rgle- 

 gated to obscurity, where they belong. Its 

 original Mexican name is so ill adapted to our 

 wants it never will be generally used. 



The Bassarisk is, after the true raccoon, the 

 only animal in the United States possessed of a 

 long, bushy tail with alternating black and white 

 rings around it. It climbs trees, and nests in 

 hollow branches like a squirrel; it scratches 



and bites, and catches rats, mice and small birds 

 Uke a cat; and it has a many-sided appetite, 

 like a raccoon. Its length of head and body is 

 16 inches, tail about the same, and its general 

 color is a brownish gray. It is a night prowler, 

 and often makes its home in outbuildings and 

 deserted ranch houses. In California it is oc- 

 casionally kept in captivity by the miners, and 

 is said to make a very attractive and interesting 

 pet. 



