THE RACOON FAMILY--Characters of their Skull, Teeth, &c.--Geographical Distribution--THE RACOON--Its Habit of Washing its Food--Its External Characters and Habits--Racoon Hunting--The Crab-eating Racoon--THE COATI--THE KINKAJOU--Its Lemur-like Appearance, Prehensile Tail, &c.--THE CACOMIXLE--THE PANDA FAMILY--THE PANDA--Its Character and Habits--The Ailuropus--THE WEASEL FAMILY--Anatomical Characters--Tail-glands--Division of the Family into Three Sub-families--Importance of the Mustelidæ as Fur-producing Animals--THE GLUTTON--Its Characters--Superstitions Regarding it--Its Cunning--THE MARTEN--THE PEKAN--THE SABLE--THE WEASEL--THE STOAT, OR ERMINE--The Difference between its Winter and Summer Dress, and the manner in which the Change takes place--THE POLECAT--THE FERRET--THE MINK--THE GRISON--THE TAYRA--THE RATEL--THE COMMON BADGER--Its Habits--Burrowing--THE AMERICAN BADGER--THE TELEDU--THE CAPE ZORILLA--THE COMMON SKUNK--Its Noxious Secretion--Hydrophobia produced by Skunk Bite--The Little Striped Skunk--The White-backed Skunk--THE COMMON OTTER--The Adaptation of its Structure to Aquatic Life--Use of Tame Otters for Fishing--The Canadian Otter--The Margined-tailed Otter--THE SEA OTTER--Its Affinities with the Seals--How it is Hunted--GENERAL RELATIONS OF THE LAND CARNIVORA--FOSSIL CARNIVORA--The Tendency of these to bridge over Existing Groups--Appendix to Chapter VI. (Civet Family)--THE CYNOGALE--THE CYNICTIS--THE MANGUE--THE SURICATE. THE RACOON FAMILY.[154] This is a small family of curious Bear-like animals, of small size, and differing a good deal in external appearance, although agreeing closely in all essential particulars. They are plantigrade, like the Bears, and like them are quite devoid of a blind-gut, or cæcum. The skull is long-snouted, and, though presenting certain resemblances to that of the Civets, has still the essential Arctoid characters, such as the well-marked bony ear-passage, and the wide space between the ear-drum bone and the bony projection on the hinder part of the skull (paroccipital process). A great difference from the Bear’s skull, is, however, seen in the swollen and bulb-like ear-drum bone (bulla tympani), which is as large as that of a Dog. [Illustration: SKULL OF RACOON.] The grinding-teeth have on their biting surfaces large and prominent tubercles, so that they are neither altogether of a crushing, nor altogether of a mincing character. The molars bear a considerable resemblance to the hinder molars of the Dog; the canines are compressed from side to side, have very sharp front and back edges, and are somewhat outstanding. The number of the teeth is forty,[155] that is, two less than in the Bears, the missing teeth being the last upper molar of each side. [Illustration: HALF OF SKULL OF RACOON, UNDER VIEW.]