xxxvi 
Carnivora. MAMMALIA. Carnivora. 
possibly five species : the European, whose range ex- 
tends tlirough Europe and Asia from the Atlantic to 
the Pacific, and the two species in North America. Be- 
sides these, there is in Eastern Siberia a larger variety, 
confined to the Steppes, the common species of Sibe- 
ria being found only in the woodlands.” Ternminck 
has described another, by the name of Meles anakuma, 
from Japan ; the latter is considered by some to be 
nearer the North American species — IMurray doubts 
it. Fossil remains have been found in the bone caves 
of Europe belonging to two extinct species. 
THE AMERICAN BADGER [Tazidea americana, 
Baird ). — This animal is widely distributed throughout 
the United States, ranging from Wisconsin to the 
Pacific Ocean, reaching far to the north. South of 
latitude 35“ it appears to be replaced by the species 
berlandieri, called Meles labradoria by Bennet, Proc. 
Zoo. Soc., London, 1833, and Meles americanus, by 
Zimmerman in Pennant's AreUc Zoology. “The dif- 
ferences between the European and American,” says 
Prof. Baird, “ are so strongly marked as scarcely to 
recpiire a comparison. Thus, in the former the sides 
and top of the head may be described as white, the 
end of the muzzle completely encircled by this color; 
a little more than half way between the snout and tlie 
eye commences a stripe of black, truncate anteriorly, 
and sending down a small branch towards the canine ; 
this stripe widens gradually, including the eye and ear, 
and is lost on the shoulders. The black of the legs 
extends over the throat to near the end of the chin. 
There are thus on the top and sides of the head five 
stripes — a median and two lateral white ones, and two 
intermediate of black — in addition to black beneath 
the head and anterior to the ear, all the stripes of 
the same width. In the American Badger the top of 
the head is grizzled with a narrow white median 
line ; the end of the muzzle, top and sides, is black ; 
the cheeks are white, with a crescentic black patch 
anterior to the ear. The whole under jjarts of the 
throat and head are white. The naked muzzle of 
the European is much larger than in the American." 
The most striking differences are to be seen in the 
hairs of the upper part of the muzzle, the smaller 
ears, the stouter feet and claws, the more conical or 
wedged-shaped head, <fec., of the American species. 
The length of this latter is twenty-two inches from 
the nose to root of the tail, fi'he tail, in its vertebrae, 
five inches ; the same, including the hairs, six inches. 
See also vol. i, p. 74. 
THE MEXICAN BADGER (Tazidea herlandieri, 
Baird ). — 'I’liis is the T. labradoria of AVaterhouse, 
and Meles labradoria of Bennet, Proc. Zoo. Soc., Lon- 
don, 1833. In specific characters it is like the Amer- 
ican Badger, but has the light line on the top of the 
head continued, with intervals to near the rootof the 
tail. It is described by Prof. Baird in Report of Mez. 
Bound. Survey, and in Pacific R. R. Reports. 
THE KINKAJOU (Cercoleptes caudivolvuhis) — 
called also Potto. — 'I'his creature has been somewhat 
of a puzzle to naturalists. Its general aspect and its 
habits have led some to regard it as allied to the 
Lemurs, and it earned the name of Yellow Alacauco 
Iroin that circumstance. Yellow Lemur (Lemur, 
flavus) is another name it also has borne. It was 
then placed next to the A^iverras, under the name 
Alexican ATeasel (Vivei’ra caudwolvula). Its teeth, 
having flat surfaces, and its curious prehensile tail, 
were characters that seemed to remove it from the 
Carnivorous tribe ; and, since it eats both animal and 
vegetable food, it is now ranked with the ursine an- 
imals. The Kinkajou inhabits a large portion of 
Fig. X. 
South America, and reaches as far north as Mexico 
and the AA^est Indies. It is known as Honey Bear, 
Manariri or Guchumbi. The adult is equal in size to 
a common house Cat, but is much more powerful 
physically. It has a most remarkable tongue, one 
that can be protruded to an unusual extent ; indeed, 
it seems to be as useful to the animal as the prehen- 
sile tail, for it can insinuate the tip into places where 
insects are congregated, and adroitly remove them to 
its mouth ; in this way, too, it extracts honey from 
the comb of the wild Bees. It has the faculty of 
using the tail for similar purposes, much the same as 
in the case of the Spider Monkeys. It is thoroughly 
nocturnal in habits, finding daylight troublesome to its 
eyes. The pupils are susceptible of great expansion 
and contraction. It is said to utter alow, bleating 
sound, as it emerges at twilight, and then, in the ac- 
ceptable shades of night, it gambols with great activity 
and skill upon the trees of the forest. It is easily tamed, 
becoming to its master much as the pet Dog is, ready 
to play, and affects to bite precisely like the latter. 
'J’hough in this tamed state it is affectionate, and 
receives with great apparent pleasure any fondling or 
caresses, yet, when wild, it is extremely lerocious, offer- 
ing a most determined and spirited resistance when 
assaulted by Alan. 
THE BROWN COATI-MONDI (Tfasiia narica)— 
Plate 11, fig. 38.— This genus, an exclusively Ameri- 
can one. has only five species, one of which — the 
N. braziliensis — is fossil, and found in the bone caves 
of Brazil, and is extinct. The Nasua narica (some- 
times also called Quasjic) derives its name from the 
Latin, meaning nose, which might suggest a conveni- 
ent trivial designation, -as Rfosey. It is a lively and 
funny creature, very common in collections, both as 
living and preserved specimens, and is often tamed 
and "kept as a ])et in its native country. A good 
