The Raccoon 47 
ments are like those of the bear, while in climbing 
about in trees his shambling gait disappears, and he 
becomes at once a graceful animal. He may well 
be a good climber, for he uses a hollow in a tree for 
a nest, and many are the trips he makes to and from 
the ground. Here in this cavity the baby raccoons, 
varying in number from three to six, are born about 
the first of April, and they are said to remain with 
the mother for nearly a year. This nest is their 
resting-place during the day at all seasons of the 
year, although they are occasionally found curled 
up sound asleep in a hollow log or stump. The 
young grow rapidly, and by the time the field corn 
is in the milk they have for some time been following 
the mother on her nightly excursions. 
Although the raccoon is usually thought to be 
nocturnal in habits, I am led to believe that when it 
is cloudy he roams about quite freely in the daytime. 
This habit of roving around at night seems to apply 
more particularly to wild raccoons than to tame ones, 
two tame ones that I have in mind being abroad 
several hours of each day. 
Observers have very generally stated that the 
raccoon hibernates more or less, according to the 
severity of the winter; nevertheless, I believe that 
cold weather does not affect him so much as the 
