96 JRtnant^ of ti^e tEivtt^ 



eggs, dropping them to the ground. 

 When he was sure that the nest was en- 

 tirely empty, he hastily slid down the 

 trunk of the tree to his late supper. 



First he broke the eggs and licked up 

 their contents. Then he stripped the 

 gay coat from the yellowhammer and 

 deliberately ate her, crunching the bones 

 with keen relish. 



As with the fish, he left the bird's en- 

 trails, and also her feet and beak, as too 

 coarse for the palate of a fastidious rac- 

 coon. 



When the last morsel had been eaten, 

 and he had carefully licked every trace 

 of blood from his paw, he climbed the 

 wall and went home to his hollow birch 

 by a roundabout way. 



It is merely upon circumstantial evi- 

 dence that I charge Mr. Raccoon with 

 the murder of Mrs. Golden-winged 



