tree, they will assemble round the root, and remain there for hours together, their rough bristles standing erect, and their eyes flaming with rage. The Peccary may be tamed, and then appears much like the common hog.

I have thus told you of the Mammoth, Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Tapir, Hog, and Peccary; all of them being generally classed together, as possessing many points of resemblance.

SIZE.

FORM. COLOUR. COUNTRIES. HABITS.

THE length of this animal is about nine feet, and his height a little more than four. He has a long nose, short ears, large legs, and a short tail. His body and neck are long, and he has five sharp claws on each foot. His colour is a yellowish white; his hair long and shaggy.

This animal inhabits Greenland and Lapland, and is

THE WHITE, OR POLAR BEAR.

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found as far north as eighty degrees. He lives on fish and seals, and the bodies of whales, which are thrown ashore, or which he finds by swimming in the sea. He reigns, in undisputed sovereignty among the brutes, over the cold and desolate regions where he dwells.

There was a White Bear recently exhibited in Boston. When his keeper directed him to show how to break ice, he would rise on his hind legs, and stamp with his fore feet, very forcibly, on the bottom of his cage.

THE length of this animal is probably about seven feet, and his height four and a half feet; his ears are short and rounded; the forehead convex; his eyes small; the tail short and concealed by hair; the claws, of which there are five on each foot, are long and hooked. His hair is long, and generally almost black, with a mixture of white.

The Grizzly Bear does not climb trees, like the brown and black bear. He is ferocious and bloodthirsty, and such is his strength that he can master a bison, and drag him to his retreat. He is by far the most sanguinary and dangerous brute of North America. He unhesitatingly pursues both men and animals; and, though he feeds on flesh, he is capable of subsisting upon roots and fruits. He is very tenacious of life, and will pursue his enemy after having received repeated mortal wounds. He is at present only found in the eastern vicinity of the Rocky Mountains.

THIS animal is about three feet high, and his length about

four and a half or five feet. crowned with five claws each. long, his head large, his nose His hair is long, soft, and woolly.

His feet are long, and are His body is short, his legs sharp, and his eyes small.

THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.

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His food is chiefly fruits, such as acorns, chestnuts, grapes, and corn; but when hungry he will feed on flesh, and attack other animals with courage and fierceness. He climbs trees, and uses his paws like hands. In winter he retires to his den, which is usually a hollow in some decayed tree, where he lies in a torpid state till spring. Though of a wild disposition, he can be tamed, and taught various tricks, in which he displays a good deal of sagacity and docility. He is a native of the northern parts of both continents. The pursuit of this animal is a matter of the first importance to some of the Indian tribes, and is never undertaken without much ceremony.

THE BROWN BEAR.

THE Brown Bear, in size, form, and habits, resembles the black bear. It is not, however, found in America.

THE Raccoon is about two feet long, and the top of the back is about a foot from the ground. The head resembles that of a fox, but the nose is prolonged considerably beyond the upper jaw, and, being very flexible, it enables the animal to examine every little crevice or hole, which it is not backward in doing whenever an opportunity offers. The general colour of the body is a blackish gray.

Raccoons are found throughout the whole of North America, and they still continue to be numerous in many of the well peopled parts of the United States. They are also found in several parts of the West Indies. They are generally hunted in the night with dogs.

HABITS. CURIOUS PARTICULARS.

Raccoons feed on sugar-cane, maize, and various fruits, and whenever they can enter a poultry-yard they destroy