HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 251 



The COATI, or Brazilian WEASEL, 



has fome refemblance to the Bear, in the length of its 

 hind legs, in the form of its feet, in the bulhinefs of its 

 hair, and in the ftrutlure of its paws. It is fmall. Its 

 tail is long, and variegated with different colours ; its 

 upper jaw is much longer than the lower, and very pli- 

 ant*, its ears are rounded; its hair is fmooth, foft, and 

 gloffy, of a bright-bay colour \ and its breaft is whitifli. 



Linnseus defcribes one of them, which he kept a con- 

 fiderable time, and in vain attempted to bring into fub- 

 jection. It was very obftinate and capricious. It killed 

 the poultry, tore off their heads, and fucked their blood. 

 It defended itfelf with great force whenever any perfon 

 attempted to lay hold of it contrary to its inclination ; 

 and it (tuck fail to the legs of thofe with whom it was 

 familiar, when it wanted to ranfack their pockets, and 

 carry off any thing that it found in them. It had an ex- 

 treme averfion to hog's briftles •, and the fmalleft brufh 

 made it defift. — Its mode of living was very lingular : It 

 flept from midnight till noon, kept awake the reft of the 

 day, and uniformly walked about from fix in the evening 

 till midnight, without the lead regard to the weather. 



