THE RACCOON. 
455 
mind, nothing more wonderful in it than in 
the fact that the animal has sufficient sa<ra- 
city to open a trap from behind, so as to ex¬ 
tract the bait without injury to himself.” 
“Beavers can do that,” remarked Sidney. 
“I read in ‘Captain Bonneville’ that the 
beaver sometimes springs the trap with a 
stick, and at other times pulls it into the 
water and buries it in the sand.” 
“Animals which are much hunted ac¬ 
quire a great degree of sagacity,” observed 
Miss Winston, “ and do certainly appear 
to go through a mental process very much 
like reasoning. Many instances might be 
given had we time; but I see the evening is 
wearing apace, and, as it is the last we can 
devote to our lectures, I am anxious to give 
you at least a general view of the ground 
we have not yet gone over. The raccoons 
and the coatis are nearly allied to the bears, 
and are often classed with them. They are 
found, the former in North the latter in 
South America, and are very generally dif¬ 
fused. The raccoon is of a dark-grayish 
colour, the separate hairs being tinged with 
different colours. The face is whitish and 
the tail ringed with brownish black. They 
