Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-03-12
THr HABIT, OF THE CoAr1-MoNp1.-

The HABITS OF THE CoArI-MoNDI-I
Sailors from South America occasionally,
among other pets, bring small animal,
which. because of its long nose, they in
variably call an Ant-eater. Thus was a
little stranger introduced to our care few
years ago. A glance was enough to see
that it was no ant-eater at all, but pretty
female Coati-Mondi. Gallant Jack Tar.
her master on ship, unconscious of the in
oongruity, had made namesake of her.
and called her Jack. Science had already
named her Nasua, and in matter fact
way, for the word interpreted just means
l-Nosie. The animal was about the size
of a cat, with thick, coarse fur, of
brownish hue on the back and sides, and
underneath shades from yellow to orange.
The long tail was ornamented by series of
black and yellowish brown rings. Her
nasal prominence reminded me of a queer
Spaniard, once employed in the govern
ment service to detect spurious coin. His
"counterfeit detector" was sensitive pro-
boscis. By sticking this organ into the
glittering heaps, he literally - nosed out
the bad from the good To that man his
nose was the instrument of his profession :;
and to Nasua her nose was equally impor-
tant. 1t even prompted nickname and a
juvenile pun" Nosie's nose knows too
much !" Inappeasably inquisitive, she was
necessarily intruding that organ into every
thing. Having made no allowance for an
extra-tropical temperature, this little South
mi r,aao f,1 l,rA 10
lift with her nose the lid of pot in the
cooks domain. The next attempt, a sue
cessful one, was on the knife-box, whose
closely-ftting lid was pried open, and
every article inspected, in happy ignorance
of the proverb about edged tools. 1t was
enough that anything was hollow to excite
her curiosity, which was of thoroughly
simian type. The dinner-bell was turned
over but, unable to detach the clapper and
chain, it was soon abandoned in disgust.
A round sleigh-bell received more perse-
vering attention. Unable to get her nose
or paws into the little hole at the side, the
clatter within set her wild with excitement,
and evoked desperate attack on the little
annoyance with her teeth. She then gave
it up as a bootess job. A bottle Of harris
horn Was next made the subject of invest-
CATION. We had purposely loosened the
cork, and promised ourselves " nice sell :"
and we got it-not Nosie. She was not in
the least disconnected by the drug. In
fact, she had strong nose for such things.
A man gave her his tobacco-box. Resting
it on the floor between her two paws,
which possessed uncommon fexiblity, she
turned it over and over, round and round,
exercising alternately her nose, claws, aud
teeth upon it with great energy, but to no
avail. 1t seemed that the smell of its con
tents infatuated her, as she showed no dis
position to stop. The man opened the box
for her. She was in rapture. In went the
nose, also both front paws. Very soon
that wonderfully mobile organ had separa-
ted every fibre, so that the mass seemed
trebly increased. The same man let her
nave bis dirty pipe, when her velvety nose
Was Instantly squeezed into the rank nico-
tao bow.-Reo. s. Lockwood, an Popular
Science Monthly.