The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-24
With a Single Exception They Ara
Found in the New
World.
Tho Raccoon Proper, Called Coor
for Short, Is Peculiar to
North America
Nocturnal Providers That Are Familiar In
the West and South--Spccies
of the Family.

the size of a badger, and has a sharp
pointed muzzlc, rather long ears. and a
moderately long, bushy, but oylindrically
shaped tail, marked with black and white
rings. The general color Of its hair is
grayish brown, and there is a liRht-solored
patch ovor either eye and on the side Of
the muzzle. The limbs are of medium
loncth, and each paw has five toes. Those
of the forepaw can be stretched wide
apart, and all the digits have arohed and
pointed claws. which are not retractable,
like those Of a cat. When standing. the
soles Of the feet are wholly applied to the
ground, 90 that the animal is what ia
called plantigrade, although in walking the
heel is somewhat raised. Its grind
ing or molar teeth are mostly
broad and rather fat. with rather moderate
prominences. and no remarkably sharp
blades adapted for cutting flesh. Its name
of raccoon, familiarly abbreviated into
coon, is a corruption of It's Indian designa-
ton, arathoone. 1t can make a good fight,
an old coon being a tough match for an
average dog. Though very sly, raccoons
are caught in traps. They are not swift
runner and if pursued take to a tree. The
raccoon, though capable of being made a
pet, cannot be let loose with IMMUNITY on
account of its great curiosity, which leads
it to find its way into the house and
examine everything. 1t is very fond Of
sweets, and will remove covers from dishes,
corks from bottles, and soon learn to I'M
latch doors. Its natural range extends all
over the United States, both north to
Alaska and south to Costa Rica, attaining
ita largest size in tho south.
1t stirs abroad but very little by day, and
only when the weather is dull aud cloudy.
No North American animals are more
strictly nocturnal. except bats and flying
squirrels. And it not only sleeps by day, but
also during the winter. Yet it makes no
specially comfortable nest wherein to re-
pose, but only coils itself up in a hollow
tree or, by preference, in some dead branch,
for 1t chooses, no doubt for greater security,
an elevated position.
Raccoons are carniverous animals, and
sometimes they eat poultry, but mice, small
birds. eggs, insects, fruits, nuts, maize,
frogs, crustaneous mollusks and fish are all
Welcome food to them. They are very expert
in breaking down stalks Of corn and strip
ping the husks free of the corn, using their
paws like hands. They. swim we'll and will
cross rivers without hesitation, but they
cannot dive and pursue fish n i'd water as
ottera do. They readily, however, obtain
orawfsh and mussels. They like to play in
shallow water and overturn stones in search
of crawfsh, and they have a singular habit
ing it. There is a southern species called
the crab-eating raccoon. but, as we see.
shat term could, in fact, also be applied to
the northern kind. The southern one has,
as might be expected, shorter fur, and it
has also stronger. teeth: but otherwise Is
very like the northern kind, both in struc-
ture and habits. 1t is to be found all over
South America as far south as the Rio
Negro.
Two beasts, closely allied to the raccoon.
but more slender in build and with larger
tails, ars found-one in some parts of the
United States and in Mexico. 1t has been
captured in Ohio, and in Oregon northwest
of Jacksonville. The other comes from
Central America. Catamiztli was a name
applied to this kind in Mexico, and it is
by the Texans. Its real relationship to the
raccoon was long unsupported, and IL was
taken to be one form of the very different
group Of civsts. These two beasts 20 more
on the tips of their toes than do the rae
coons. They are readily tanned, and are
They dwell in woods, ard make a moss
lined nest in a hollow tree, and are often
betrayed by chips of wood which they
will gnaw off round the mouth Of
the hole they inhabit. Their food
consists Of small kinds of beasts and also
ASy ~ NhSANh ~
ing mioo and rats, but are very destructive
to poultry, and are naturally bold, and will
fight furiously with claws and teeth. They
prefer to inhabit woods traversed by water
entirely confined to the New World, are
known as coatimundia, or COATS, one of
which is confined to Mexico and Central
America, and the other to South America,
from surinam to Paraguay. They are not
30 thickly b1ilt as are the raocoons, and
e.-oI o~-or mr. ~ y a1a~Jnr o~J Ao~or;~o
tails, but their main popularity consists in
the possession of q very elongated and mo-
bile snout or short proboscis. The COATS
live mainly in trees, going about in troops
of from about eight to twenty individuals.
They are, also. like raccoons, indiscrimi-
as birds and eggs.
South and Central America produce an
other kindred animal, though very distinct
in aspect and organization. This is the
kinkaiou, or potto, a-strietly. forest -crea-
ture. found in the warmer parts of South
and Central America. 1t has a long body,
but nhort limbs, which are we'll fitted for
c~lipeing to the trunks and branches of
trees by the very strong and sharp claws
with which all the toes are provided. But
it ia still better fitted for arboreal life by
means of its tail, which is very long, and
also strongly prehensile, like the tails of so
many American monkeys. The kinkaiou
is of about the size of a rather small cat,
and 10 clothed With dense FUR or q uniform
pale yellowish-hrown color. 1t has a broad,
round head, with very short ears and an
extremely long and very extensile tongue,
which is, no doubt, of much use to it in eat
ing honey, CT which it is very fond, nj
though it will also devour eggs and small
birds and beasts. IL is a nocturnal animal
of rather u gentle disposition, and it is
easily tanned. In captivity it will live
on oranges and bananas. which it eats
greedilv. 1t il not uncommonly found in
holes of trees, whore it lies concealed by
dav, issuing forth Mt night in pursuit Of
prey. Its woolly fur is much valued, and
it's skins are brought to market. Dampier
in his "Voyape" says: 1.-The flesh ia good.
sweet and wholesome meat. We skin and
roast it. and then we call it pig, md I think
it eats as well.' There Is yet another ex-
olusivcly American nnimal-Another sort OF
cncomistle, or cat squirrel, about which n
few words must horo be snid. There are
two kinds, which come from Costa RIGA
and Ecuador respectively. or one kind only
the skull ID known, but the other has II very
long body and tail and short legs, IL
from itB form and coloration il is 80 like a
II kinkajou that the Indians who accom-
panied it's discoverer, tho collector, Mr..
Buckley, actually mistook it for TINT ami
mai, although the anout is longer, relatively,
and the head less rounded. An English
naturalist, Mr.. Oldaeld Thomas. who hus
figured IT, considers ii to be a real case of
mimicry. He Observes, however, that il ia