MAMMALS OF UTAH 133 



sectorial shortest. Above yellowish brown and gray mixed ; 

 below white. Legs and feet like the body. Tail, white with 

 SIX or eight alternate black rings. (Elliot.) Total length 

 28 inches; tail vert., 13; hind foot 2.3. (Warren.) 



Distribution — California, Arizona, southern Utah, New 

 Mexico, Colorado, Texas. Several years ago Andrew Hol- 

 man killed a ring-tail near Vernal; and this is the only 

 actual record I have of its occurrence in this state. Nelson 

 includes southern Utah in his description of the range of 

 this species. Several have been taken in adjacent portions 

 of Colorado. S. B. Locke, however, informs me that they 

 occur in the La Sal national forest, prefering low elevations. 



Habits — The ring-tail is known as "civet cat," "coon 

 cat," "band-tail cat," "cacomixtle" (in Mexico), and "babi- 

 suri" (in Lower California). It is about the size of a large 

 cat, but with proportionately longer and slenderer body, 

 shorter legs, and longer tail. The alternating bands of 

 black and white on the tail proclaim its relationship, not 

 to the cat, to which it has no kindship, but to the racoon, 

 which has a tail similarly marked. Few mammals possess 

 such a beautifully formed head and face, and its large mild 

 eyes give it a vivid expression of intelligence. While chief- 

 ly rock-inhabiting species, they sometimes live in the forest 

 and as a rule make their dens in caves and deep crevices, 

 but sometimes in hollow trees or about houses. Their 

 young, from three to four in number, are born in May or 

 June. Like its relative, the racoon, the ring-tail takes 

 whatever edibles come its way. Its fare includes wood 

 rats, bats, birds, chickens, insects of many kinds, larvae, 

 centipedes, fruits (pear leaved cactus among others), green 

 com. They are nocturnal and their visitation is detected 

 usually by the cat-like trails they leave. (Nelson.) 



RACCOON 



PROCYON LOTOR MEXICANUS (Baird) 



^ Description — The word "racoon" is derived from the 

 Indian word "arocoun" by which this animal was known in 

 Virginia. The racoons have on each foot five well developed 

 toes with claws, the soles naked, the hind feet plantigrade ; 

 they have pointed nose and ears ; tail, rather long and bushy, 

 usually ringed. A male weighs about 18 pounds, a female 

 10 pounds. A typical Procyon lotor is described as follows : 

 In general a dull brownish gray, becoming yellower on the 



