Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/68

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52
THE BABYHOOD OF WILD BEASTS

of selfishness and stands ready to give, and give, and give some more, without return, reward or recompense. I never saw him again, but I feel he is happy with his own kind.

Raccoons are darling pets. They are intelligent, loving and very playful when not confined too closely and have plenty of sunshiny playground with a nice, big tree to climb. I know if you ever have one you’ll love him as I loved my little pet.

The common Raccoon is about thirty-five inches long, of which eleven or twelve inches represent tail. When in prime condition it will weigh twenty-five pounds. The usual colour is grey, slightly rusty across the shoulders. The back is decorated with black-tipped hairs, while the under parts are a similar grey without the black tips.

The upper part of the feet are lightish. The tail is big and bush, trimmed with five distinct black rings and a smart black tip.

His face is decorated with black patches arranged in such a manner that he looks like he wore a pair of spectacles.

Albino specimens are not infrequent.