"It runs," says Dr. Richardson, "for about a hundred yards with a great swiftness, but its strength is exhausted in the first burst, and it is soon overtaken by a wolf or a mounted huntsman." Foxes of various gradations of color, termed Cross Foxes, are common in the fur countries of North America. These are considered by Dr. Richardson, and most naturalists, to be varieties of the Red Fox, and such is the opinion of the native hunters, than whom none are more likely to possess accurate knowledge on such points. The ordinary Cross Fox is distinguished by a gray fur mingled with black, which latter color prevails over the shoulders. A rarer and more valuable variety is the Black or Silver Fox (Canis Fulvus, var. argentatus). Dr. Richardson states that seldom more than four or five of this variety are taken in a season at one post, though the hunters no sooner find out the haunts of one than they use every art to catch it, because its fur fetches six times the price of any other fur produced in North America. This fox is sometimes found of a rich, deep, glossy black, the tip of the tail alone being white; in general, however, it is silvered over ("sable silvered "), the end of each of the long hairs of the fur being white, producing a beautiful appearance.

The Racoon (Procyon Lotor) is found in California. As this animal, though often mentioned, is not often seen, we will describe its habits. In size, and in the colors of its fur, it bears some resemblance to the foxes, but this resemblance does not extend far; the hairs are white in the middle, and black at the roots and the points, which produces a kind of gray resembling that which covers what are called the black and silver foxes; the tail is deep russet, surrounded

by four or five rings of black; the under parts of the body are whitish, and so are the feet and the face, with the exception of a black band, which begins near the eye, and extends down the side of the neck; the claws have more the character of digging than of prehensile claws; the soles of the feet are furnished with five elastic tubercles upon each, one near the heel, one at the base of the thumb of the first toe and of the last toe, and the remaining one between the basis of the two middle ones, which toes are longer than any of the others; notwithstanding that it is partially digitigrade, and does not apply the whole length of the foot at every plant, the racoon is rather a clumsy walker, and their gait may be described as being heavy compared with the true digitigrade animals, though it is light as compared with that of the bears. They can readily stand erect on their hind feet, and lay hold with their fore ones; but this operation of grasping is not performed by the contracting of one paw, but by pressing both together. They do not possess the same pliability in the internal part of the fingers as the quadrumana, but, by clasping both paws together, they can, by this means, carry their food to their mouth. The animals have a habit of plunging their food in water, and then rolling it between their paws, before they devour it. Their sight is very delicate, and they have great difficulty in distinguishing objects in the bright sunshine, or any other strong light. In the daytime they generally remain inactive, seated on their posteriors, with the head reclining between the thighs, thus presenting the appearance of a ball; but, in the night, they evince considerable activity in roaming abroad in quest of their food, which consists of worms, insects,

fruits, and the roots of plants. They move about in all directions on the surface of the earth, searching the most minute and unfrequented holes and corners. in quest of these; and they also climb trees with great dexterity, for the purpose, no doubt, of robbing and plundering the nests of birds. They are particularly fond of drinking water, which they do by sucking it up into the mouth, and there is no necessary of life on which they seem to set greater value, or to relish more. They are said to frequent the banks of rivers and the sea-shore, for the purpose of catching mollusca and fishes, which are their most favourite food. They are very delicate in the sense of smelling, but their organs of hearing are very imperfect. Their appearance resembles the bears more than any other of the carnassiers. Their generally fat condition of body, together with the thickness of fur with which they are clothed, gives them a clumsy rotundity of form. They have an extremely tufted tail, but it does not appear to be employed for any particular purpose in the economy of the animal. They are by no means difficult to tame-soon become familiarand seem to court caresses; but they do not seem to possess the quality of attachment to their master, or the docility to obey his commands. In order to prevent them from escaping, it is necessary to keep them chained up; for, though captivity softens their nature to a considerable extent, they never seem to yield up that spirit of independence which they possess in the wild state.

The American Badger (Meles Salvadoiro) is found in the northern part of California. It burrows in the sand and is particularly strong in the fore-feet. It is

different in aspect and habits from the Badger of Europe.

The Common Weasel (Mustela Vulgaris) and the Ermine (Mustela Erminia) are both common in California, as also the Mink (Mustela Vison), the Marten (Mustela Martes), and the Skunk, (Mephitis Americana). They are well, though not very agreeably known, in all parts of the American continent.

Among the animals of the cat kind found in California, are the Northern Lynx (Felis Canadensis), Branded Lynx (Felis fasciata), Red Lynx (Felis rufa) and the Puma, or (Cougar Felis concolor); often called by the inhabitants, says Farnham, the lion.

The Puma is found both in South and in North America, probably with some varieties of color; and if we are to credit some of the anecdotes which are related of it, we should be apt to consider it as a more formidable animal in the colder latitudes than in the warmer. This is certainly contrary to the natural analogies of the genus; and some of the anecdotes are, besides, such as cannot easily be brought within the range even of possibility. It has, for instance, been gravely said, that the Puma has been known to carry the body of a man that it had killed up into a tree. Now, in the first place, it has not been very satisfactorily ascertained that the Puma is a climber of trees, even when it is not loaded; in the second place, if this were ascertained, it would be an argument against the killing of man, for the tree-cats are chiefly catchers of birds, squirrels, and monkeys; . and, in the third place, notwithstanding all the marvels that have been told of lions and tigers, there is no feat at all comparable with this told of either of them. We have heard a similar story of a common brown bear carrying the body of a horse along a single tree which lay across a wide and deep ravine, in the Scandinavian forests, but we never supposed that the tale was meant to be believed, and the feel