The Raccoon. 255 



is that of the best bowl of clam soup by the epicure in that 

 condiment. 



Being an expert climber, the Raccoon ascends trees with faoi- 

 3ty, and frequently invades the nest of the woodpecker, althouo-h 

 it may be secure against ordinary thieves, by means of his fore- 

 feet getting hold of the eggs or the young birds. He watches too 

 the soft-shelled turtle when she is about to deposit her eggs, for 

 which purpose she leaves the water, and crawling on to the white 

 sand-bar, digs a hole and places them underneath the heated sur- 

 face. Quickly does the rogue dig up the elastic ova, althouo-h 

 ever so carefully covered, and appropriate them to his own use, 

 notwithstanding the efforts of the luckless turtle to conceal them. 



Sometimes by the margin of a pond, shrouded, or crouched, 

 among tall reeds and grasses. Grimalkin-like, the Raccoon lies 

 still as death, waiting with patience for some ill-fated duck that 

 may come within his reach. No negro on a plantation knows 

 with more accuracy when the corn (maize) is juicy and ready for 

 the connoisseur in roasting ears, and he does not require the aid 

 of fire to improve its flavour, but attacks it more voraciously than 

 the squirred or the blackbird, and is the last to quit the cornfield. 



The favourite resorts of the Raccoon are retired swampy lands 

 well covered with lofty trees, and through which are small water- 

 courses. In such places its tracks may be seen following the mar- 

 gins of the bayous and creeks, which it occasionally crosses in 

 search of frogs and muscles which are found on their banks. It 

 also follows the margins of rivers for the same purpose, and is 

 dexterous in getting at the shell-fish, notwithstanding the hardness 

 of the siliceous covering with which nature has provided them. 

 In dry seasons, the receding waters sometimes leave the muscles 

 exposed to the heat of the sun, which destroys their life and causes 

 their shells to open, leaving them accessible to the first animal or 

 bird that approaches. 



In the dreary months of winter, should you be encamped in any 

 of the great western forests, obliged by the pitiless storm to re- 

 main for some days, as we have been, you will not be unthankful 

 if you have a fat Raccoon suspended on a tree above your camp, 

 for when kept awhile, the flesh of this species is both tender and. 

 well-flavoured. 



The Raccoon when full grown and in good condition we con- 

 sider quite a handsome animal. We have often watched him with 

 interest, cautiously moving from one trunk to another to escape 



