RACCOON-DOG. 
555 
Colpeo. 
and thus earning its common English title. It is stated that these animals will 
collect in packs and run down and kill deer; and they do much damage to poultry 
in inhabited districts. Although when hunting in the woods they follow their 
prey by scent, it is stated that when in the open they hunt by sight. 
The largest and handsomest of the South American fox-like 
species, is the colpeo ( Cmagellanicus), from Tierra del Fuego and 
Chili. This is somewhat superior in size to the largest individuals of the preceding 
species, from which it is distinguished by its longer and more pointed nose, and the 
great length of the more bushy tail. The coloration is, moreover, generally of a 
more decidedly reddish hue. Like the other species, there is considerable individual 
variation both as regards the colour and length of the fur. Generally, however, 
the sides of the body are brownish grey, while the back is mottled with black, and 
the limbs are more or less rufous: the cheeks, throat, under surface of the lower 
jaw, and the under-parts being yellowish-white. The ears are dark externally; 
while the bushy tail is of a light reddish grey, except the tip and a patch on the 
upper surface near the root, which are black. The colpeo, as Darwin remarks, 
inhabits alike the moist forests of Tierra del Fuego and the arid deserts of Northern 
Chili. It is very destructive to poultry; and, though to a large extent nocturnal, 
may frequently be seen during the daytime. 
Our knowledge of the very remarkable species known as the 
short-eared dog (C. microtis ) is limited to a single specimen, formerly 
exhibited in the London Zoological Society’s Gardens, and believed to have come 
from the valley of the Amazon. This animal was about the size of medium 
individuals of the crab-eating dog, measuring 42 inches in total length, of which 
12 are occupied by the tail, and standing about 14 inches at the shoulder. It 
differs from the other members of the family, except the next, by its short and 
rounded ears, which communicate to the face a physiognomy quite different from 
that of all other wild dogs. It is further noticeable for its coloration, the fur 
being short and thick and generally of a dark iron-grey hue, the individual hairs 
being black at the tips and white near their roots. The limbs and bushy tail are 
nearly black, but the latter has a curious white patch on the under surface near 
the root. The ears and snout are rufous. 
Short-Eared Dog. 
The Raccoon-Dog (Canis procyonoides). 
This curiously-coloured and short-eared species is an undoubted dog, and comes 
nearest to the South American forms described above. It receives its title from a 
supposed resemblance to a raccoon, but it must be confessed that it requires a 
considerable amount of imagination to see the likeness. The raccoon-dog inhabits 
Japan, China, and Amurland, and is characterised by the sharp and pointed 
muzzle, the short rounded ears, the rather short and bushy tail, and the great 
length of its fur, more especially during the winter. There is much individual 
variation in colour, the prevailing tints being dusky-yellow and black, but the 
proportions in which the two occur differing greatly. Black is, however, always 
present on the cheeks and around the eyes, extending forwards to the muzzle, 
where there is a white spot below the nose on each side. The sides of the head 
