> 1) NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 
[11.] 1. Procyon Loror. (Cuvier.) The Raccoon. 
GENUvs Procyon, Storr. CuviER. 
Ursus lotor, Lin. GMELIN. vol. i. p. 103. 
Le Raton. Burron, vol. viii. pp. 337, t. xliii. 
Raccoon Bear. PENNANT’s Arct. Zool., vol.i. p. 69. ; 
Procyon lotor. CuviER’s Régne An., vol. i. p.143. SaBINE, Frankl. Jour., p. 649. HarLan. Faun., p, 53. 
The Raccoon, Gopman’s Nat. Hist., vol, i. p. 163, 
This animal inhabits the southern parts of the fur districts, being found as far 
north as Red River, in latitude 50°, from which quarter about one hundred skins 
are procured annually by the Hudson’s Bay Company. If there is no mistake 
as to the identity of the species, the Raccoon extends farther north on the shores 
of the Pacific than it does on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. Dixon 
and Portlock obtained cloaks of Raccoon skins from the natives of Cook’s River, 
in latitude 60°, and skins, supposed to be of the Raccoon, were also seen at 
Nootka Sound by Captain Cook. Lewis and Clarke expressly: state that the 
Raccoon, at the mouth of the Columbia, is the same with the animal so common 
in the United States. Desmarest says that the Raccoon extends as far south as 
Paraguay. It is an animal, with a fox-like countenance, but with much of the 
gait of a Bear, and being partially plantigrade, it was classed by Linneus in 
the genus Ursus, In the wild state, it sleeps by day, comes from its retreat in 
the evening, and prowls in the night in search of roots, fruits, green corn, birds 
and insects. It is said to eat merely the brain, or suck the blood of such birds as 
it kills. At low water it frequents the sea-shore to feed on crabs and oysters. It 
is fond of dipping its food into water before it eats, which occasioned Linneeus to 
give it the specific name of lotor. It climbs trees with facility. The fur of the 
Raccoon is used in the manufacture of hats, and its flesh, when it has been fed on 
vegetables, is reported to be good. The live animal is often seen in English 
menageries. 
DESCRIPTION. 
The Raccoon has a round head, with a narrow, tapering nose, which projects considerably 
beyond the mouth. The end of the nose is naked and black, and it possesses much flexibility. 
The lips are also black. The eyes are round and moderately large; the pupils circular, The 
low, erect ears are elliptical, with their tips much rounded, and, together with their edges, are 
of a soiled white colour. The whiskers are strong. The muzzle is covered with short hairs, of a 
