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40 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



feathers, why the Katydid sings all summer and dies when 

 the cold weather comes, and such delightful fancies. 



Why the 'Possum Tells a Lie 



The story of "The Opossum and the Raccoon" tells why 

 the opossum plays 'possum ("always telling a lie," as the 

 Biloxi put it) and shows that the fondness of both these 

 animals for crayfish was recognized by the first inhabitants 

 of this section. The translation of this legend by Dr. Swan- 

 ton follows: 



"The Ancient of Opossums thought that he would reach 

 a certain pond very early in the morning and catch the 

 crayfish that might be found on the shore, but some one 

 else had reached there first and had gone round the pond 

 and then had started home long before the Ancient of 

 Opossums had arrived there. This unknown person acted 

 thus regularly every day. 



"So at length the Ancient of Opossums lay in wait for 

 him. At length he found the person, who proved to be the 

 Ancient of Raccoons. They conversed together, and they 

 agreed to see which one could rise the sooner in the morn- 

 ing and go round the pond. The Raccoon said, 'I rise very 

 early. I never sleep till daylight comes.' The Opossum 

 made a similar assertion, and then they parted, each going 

 to his home. 



"The Opossum lay down in a hollow tree and slept there 

 a long time. He arose when the sun was very high and was 

 going to the pond, but the Raccoon had already been there 

 ahead of him and had gone round the pond, devouring all 

 the crayfish. The Raccoon sang as he was returning home. 

 The Opossum stood listening, and then he sang thus : 'Hi na 

 ki-yu wus-se-di.' He met the Raccoon, who had eaten all 

 the crayfish. 



"The Raccoon said, 'I have been eating very long, and I 

 was going home, as I am sleepy.' To this the Opossum said, 

 'I, too, have been eating so long that I am sleepy, so I was 

 going home.' The Opossum was always telling a lie. The 

 people say this of the Opossum because when one hits that 

 animal and throws it down for dead, pretty soon the 

 Opossum gets up and departs." 



