Raccoon [ vulpi affinis americana, rattoou, seu raccou, Ray ], quadruped, approximately the size of a small badger: it has a thin, sharp muzzle like that of a fox; a turned up nose, a lower lip less far forward than the nose, a large head like that of the fox, shorter ears rounded at the tip, a long and bushy tail circled by rings of different colors like the tail of the fox, front legs that are shorter than those in back: the fur is soft, bushy, of a gray color mixed with black and a hint of tawny; there is a black bandana-like marking over the eyes. When walking, this animal only puts the points of his feet on the ground like dogs, but when it is at rest, it supports itself on its heel; it raises itself on its hind legs, like rats, squirrels, etc. It takes its food with its front paws to put in its mouth; it holds it with both paws, because its fingers have but little flexibility, it can neither seize nor grasp with a single paw. It dips, rather, it softens, everything it eats in water, and it eats everything. However, it has been observed that a raccoon that has been fed over a long period of time liked sugar, milk, and other sweet foods, with the exception of fruits to which it preferred meat and especially fish. It was very carnivorous, it looked for mice, moles, frogs, and even insects, such as spiders, slugs, and snails; it ate any sort of raw, cooked, or even seasoned meat; however fermented cheese and mustard disgusted it. It was very agile and climbed up trees with great ease. This animal is native to the southern countries of America; it is very common in Jamaica where it lives in the mountains and descends to eat sugar cane. Histoire naturelle générale et particulière, vol. VIII. See Quadruped.