64. February 1749. 



wild grapes, which are what it likes heft ; 

 among the poultry it is very cruel. When 

 it finds the hens on their eggs, it fir ft kills 

 them, and then eats the eggs. It is caught 

 by dogs, which trace it back to its neft, 

 in hollow trees, or by fnares and traps, in 

 which a chicken, fome other bird, or a fifh, 

 is put as a bait. Some people eat its flefh. 

 It leaps with all its feet at once ; on ac- 

 count of this and of fevcral other qualities, 

 many people here reckoned it to the genus 

 of bears. The ikin fold for eighteen- 

 pence, at Philadelphia. I was told that the 

 Raccoons were not near fo numerous as 

 they were formerly ; yet in the more in^ 

 land parts they were abundant. I have 

 mentioned the ufe which the hatters make 

 of their furs ; as likewife that they are 

 eafily tamed, that they are very greedy of 

 fweet-meats, &c. in the preceding volume. 

 Of all the North American wild quadrupeds 

 none can be tamed to fuch a degree as this. 

 February the 10th. In the morning I 

 went to Philadelphia, where I arrived to- 

 wards night. On my arrival at the ferry 

 upon the river Delaware, I found the river 

 quite covered with drifts of ice, which at 

 firft prevented our eroffirig the water. After 

 waiting about an hour, and making an" 

 opening near the ferry, I, together with 



many 



