The Fur Animals of Louisiana 45 



"Just about this time the Frenchman drew near. He 

 tied the legs of the Rabbit, laid him down and scolded him. 

 Then the Rabbit pretended to be in great fear of a brier 

 patch. 'As you are in such fear of a brier patch, I will 

 throw you into one,' said the Frenchman. 'Oh, no,' replied 

 the Rabbit. 'I will throw you into the brier patch,' re- 

 peated the Frenchman. 'I am much afraid of it,' answered 

 the Rabbit. 'As you are in such dread of it, I will throw 

 you into the brier patch.' So he seized the Rabbit and 

 threw him into the brier patch. The Rabbit fell into it at 

 some distance from the Frenchman. But instead of being 

 injured, he sprang up and ran off laughing at the trick he 

 had played on the Frenchman." 



Why the Opossum Has a Large Mouth 



The Choctaw Indians who lived on the north shores of 

 Lake Pontchartrain and had their villages in the territory 

 now designated as St. Tammany parish had their own 

 myths, legends and folk tales of the various birds and 

 animals found there. 



One of these legends deals with the opossum, which 

 they called Sokata, and tells why it has such a large and 

 grinning mouth. David I. Bushnell, Jr., 12 gives the follow- 

 ing translation : 



"It had been a dry season and there was very little food 

 for Deer, consequently he had become thin and rather weak. 

 One day Deer met 'Possum and exclaimed : "Why ! 'Possum, 

 how very fat you are. How do you keep so fat when I 

 cannot find enough to eat?' And 'Possum answered, 'I live 

 on persimmons, and as they are unusually large this year, 

 I have all I want to eat.' 'But how do you get persimmons, 

 which grow so high above the ground ?' 'That is very easily 

 done,' replied 'Possum. 'I go to the top of a high hill and, 

 running swiftly down, strike a persimmon tree so hard with 

 my head that all the ripe persimmons fall to the ground. 

 Then I sit there and eat until I cannot hold more.' Indeed,, 

 that is easily done,' answered Deer; 'now watch me.' 



vtThe Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb, St. Tammany Parish, La., p. 32. 



