Lhe: Raccoon ~~” 49 
but they are ever ready for a “square meal,” their 
hunger driving them sometimes to farm buildings in 
search of food. One morning a friend of mine found 
a raccoon in his woodshed feeding upon a chicken 
that had been killed the night before. 
Long and varied is the menu of the raccoon, con- 
sisting in part of nuts, frogs, fish, mollusks, turtles, 
poultry, and corn; but corn in the milk is the food 
most sought after—the season of young corn is 
the ‘‘watermelon” time for ’coons both old and 
young. 
These prowlers of the night are also exceedingly 
fond of fish and they love to wade in the shallow 
water along the brooks, rivers, and ponds, overturning 
stones in search of them. I have often seen their 
fresh trails in the mud, perhaps two or three going in 
the same direction, as though they hunted in friendly 
companies. Fish sometimes venture into shallow 
water, and then must the raccoon make the most of 
his opportunity; for he cannot, like the otter, pursue 
the fish under water. His ability to catch fish de- 
pends largely upon the dexterous use of his fore 
paws. I have never seen a wild raccoon fishing, but 
I believe that his method is the following: when a 
fish ventures into shallow water, within reach of the 
raccoon, the paw is used like a scoop and the haul is 
