DELAYED REACTION 85 



B. Notes on Raccoons. — Da vis ^* and Cole" have given an 

 excellent description of the habits of raccoons in captivity. 

 In the main my observations substantiate theirs. A few differ- 

 ences, however, may be noted. Davis lays particular stress 

 upon one habit which his raccoons formed, viz., that of covering 

 their excrement. As well known this is contrary to their be- 

 havior in the natural state. ]\Iy four animals were confined in 

 one cage, 10x10x14 feet, the floor of which was covered an 

 inch or more deep in sha\-ings. Yet in all the long months 

 during which the animals lived there, they never formed the 

 habit of covering their faeces. These were always voided along 

 the walls of the cage, and not once have I found evidence of 

 an attempt to co\'er them. ^Moreover both Mr. DeVry of the 

 Lincoln Park Zoological Garden, Chicago, and Dr. Hornaday of 

 the New York Zoological Garden give an unqualified "no" in 

 answer to the following question: Will the tame raccoon bury 

 or cover his excrement, if given the opportunity? 



No trouble was found in adapting the animals to a rather 

 monotonous diet of bread and milk, varied occasionally with 

 raw meat. But the amount of the rations to be given was more 

 difficult .to determine. Throughout the spring, summer and 

 into the winter, the raccoon will eat voraciously. But by the 

 middle of January, unless strict precautions be taken, the ani- 

 mals will be so fat that they will refuse to work and will sleep 

 almost continually. My animals were kept on a back porch 

 which was not artificially heated, and which was but slightly, 

 if any, warmer than out of doors. Whether they would have 

 gone into a genuine state of hibernation had I not cut down their 

 rations in the fall, I cannot ?ay. However, in view particularly 

 of Betty's behavior, I am inclined to think that this would have 

 happened. From about the middle of January until late in 

 April, my notebook indicates that Betty lacked a motive for 

 working. Tests were made during this period in order: (i) To 

 prevent forgetting of the problem, and (2) to give the animal 

 food in order that it might not become too weak from a long 

 fast. The cases of the three other raccoons are not so extreme 

 as this one, — yet all become less eager for food during. the last 



^^ Davis, H. B. The Raccoon: A Study in Animal Intelligence. Amer. Jour. 

 Psych, vol. 18, 1907. 



^^ Cole, L. W. Observations of the Senses and Instincts of the Raccoon. Jour, 

 of Animal Behavior, vol. 2, 1912. 



