26 QUADRUPEDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



is a grizzled brown, its fur consisting of a mixture of dirty white, 

 ringed with black. The belly is considerably paler. The tail is 

 long, pendant, and bushy, and has generally 5 dark rings around 

 it. The extremities are short, and all the feet are provided with 

 five toes, armed with strong nails. The animal is full-bellied, 

 especially at its flanks, and, as it is partially plantigrade and its 

 posterior extremities are longer than the anterior, it makes rather 

 an awkward appearance when walking. It walks generally upon 

 its toes, but, when it sits, it brings the whole of the sole of the 

 foot upon the ground ; it easily assumes the sitting posture of the 

 Bear, erects, and feeds itself with its paws. 



Dimensions. 



ft. in. t'ths. 



Length of the head and body, 2 



" " head, 6 



" " tail, 9 5 



Height of the back, [Richardson) 110 



Skull. 



Length from the incisors to the occipital spine over the frontal bone, 5 3 

 " " " to the foramen magnum, . . .40 



" " " to the meai us externus, ... 35 



Height, 19 



Length of the lower jaw, 3 3 



Width at the condyles, 2 6 



Observations, This animal has a distribution almost as wide as 

 that of the Bear. It is a native of all the States of the Union, 

 and is supposed to inhabit the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Its 

 countenance is much like that of the Fox, but its gait and motions 

 are those of the Bear ; it also partakes of the habits of the latter 

 in its modes of living. The Raccoon sleeps by day and wanders 

 about by night in quest of food, and to enjoy its gambols, for it is 

 fond of play and frolic. Its food is green corn when it can be 

 obtained, and it is especially fond of all sweet vegetables, and 

 even of sugar, molasses, preserves, &c. It will also receive 

 fresh meat, though it is not known to destroy any of the smaller 

 animals. In a state of nature, therefore, it is supposed to subsist 

 entirely on vegetables, though I have been informed that it often 

 resorts to the water for the purpose of taking fish, for the truth 

 of which I cannot vouch. 



