. Natural history. Zoology. Ffg. 46, -The Panda (^E^itniii /ulgen Raccoons are almost omnivorous animals, obtaining much of their food along the banks of lakes and streams, and swimming well. Much of their time is, however, spent in trees, in hollows of which the young are brought forth ; and in North America they hibernate dur- ing the cold season. The cacomistles (Bassariscus), represented by one species from the Southern United States and Mexico and another from Central America, form a closely allied genus, distinguished by the more slender build, sharper nose, longer tail, and less complet
. Natural history. Zoology. Ffg. 46, -The Panda (^E^itniii /ulgen Raccoons are almost omnivorous animals, obtaining much of their food along the banks of lakes and streams, and swimming well. Much of their time is, however, spent in trees, in hollows of which the young are brought forth ; and in North America they hibernate dur- ing the cold season. The cacomistles (Bassariscus), represented by one species from the Southern United States and Mexico and another from Central America, form a closely allied genus, distinguished by the more slender build, sharper nose, longer tail, and less completely plantigrade feet. Another genus is Bassaricydv., of Central America, which has raccoon-like teeth, but an external form very like that of the kinkajou. The coatis (N^asua), which range from Central America to Paraguay, are easily recognised by the prolongation of the muzzle into a long and somewhat upturned mobile snout; the long,and tapering tail being ringed. The dentition is similar to that of the raccoons, with the exception that the upper canines are longer and more pointed, and the molars smaller. Coatis are arboreal animals, going about the forest in small parties, and feeding chieily on birds, eggs, insects, lizards, and fruits. Lastly, the kinkajou {Cercoleptcs caiidivolvulus) differs from all the rest in its long and taper tail being prehensile ; the number of teeth being 36. It is a pale yellowish-brown animal, of the size of a cat, entirely nocturnal, and arboreal in its habits. The last family of the land Carnivora is the large and widely-spread one of the weasels, which includes the otters, badgers, shunks, etc. Except in the ratels (where there is but a single pair in each jaw), the members of this family may be dis- tinguished from the two preceding ones by having one pair of upper, and two of lower molars, and by the inner portion of the upper jnolars being longer from back to front than the outer blade. The auditory bulla of the skull is but little inflate
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