cat. The tail of the raccoon is
full and bushy, which is not true of the cat's tail. There is only a
similarity in the annulated or banded appearance noticed in the tails of
some cats, which in that of the raccoon is a marked characteristic.

The raccoon, to speak in round terms, is about the size of an English
fox, but somewhat thicker and "bunchier" in the body. Its legs are
short in proportion, and as it is _plantigrade_ in the hind-feet, it
stands and runs low, and cat-like. The muzzle is extremely pointed and
slender, adapted to its habit of prying into every chink and corner, in
search of spiders, beetles, and other creatures.

The general colour of the raccoon is dark brown (nearly black) on the
upper part of the body, mixed with iron-grey. Underneath it is of a
lighter hue. There is, here and there, a little fawn colour intermixed.
A broad black band runs across the eyes and unites under the throat.
This band is surrounded and sharply defined with a margin of
greyish-white, which gives a unique expression to the "countenance" of
the "'coon."

One of the chief beauties of this animal is its tail, which is
characteristic in its markings. It exhibits twelve annulations or
ring-bands, six black and six greyish-white, in regular alternation.
The tip is black, and the tail itself is very full or "bushy." When the
'coon-skin is made into a cap--which it often is among hunters and
frontiers-men--the tail is left to hang as a drooping plume; and such a
head-dress is far from ungraceful. In some "settlements" the 'coon-skin
cap is quite the fashion among the young "backwoodsmen."

The raccoon is an animal of an extremely amorous disposition; but there
is a fact connected with the sex of this creature which is curious: the
female is larger than the male. Not only larger, but in every respect a
finer-looking animal. The hair, long on both, is more full and glossy
upon the female, its tints deeper and more beautiful. This is contrary
to the general order of nature. By those unacquainted with this fact,
the female is mistaken for the male, and _vice versa_, as in the case of
hawks and eagles.

The fur of the raccoon has long been an article of commerce, as it is
used in making beaver hats; but as these have given place in most
countries to the silk article, the 'coon-skin now commands but a small
price.

The raccoon is a tree-climber of the first quality. It climbs with its
sharp-curved claws, not by hug