That fools the hunters, if they follow Bowser."
"Have you any relatives, Bobby?" asked Old Mother Nature.
"I didn't know I had until you mentioned that fellow with the ringed
tail you said you would tell us about. I didn't know there was
anybody with a tail like mine, and I would like to know about it,"
replied Bobby.
"He isn't exactly a Raccoon, but he is more nearly related to you
than any one else," replied Old Mother Nature. "His tail shows
that. Aside from this, he is nothing like you at all. He is
called the Ring-tailed Cat. But he doesn't look any more like a
Cat than he does like you, and he isn't related to the Cat family
at all. He has several names. He is called the Bassaris, the
Civet Cat, Ring-tailed Cat, Coon Cat and Cacomixtle. Instead of
being thick and clumsy-looking, as is Bobby here, he is long and
rather slender, with a yellowish-brown coat, somewhat grayish on
the back and whitish underneath. His head is rather small, long
and beautifully shaped. His ears are of good size and very pretty.
In some ways he looks like Reddy Fox. But the really beautiful
thing about him is his tail. It is nearly as long as his body,
thick and beautifully marked with black and white bands.
"He is quick and graceful in his movements, and, like Bobby, prefers
to be abroad at night. Also, like Bobby, he eats about everything
that he can find--flesh, reptiles, fruit, nuts and insects.
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