SATAN THE RACCOON 



Instantly his savage look changed for one 

 of pleasure. His ears, that just now were 

 flat on his head, pricked up, and the lips, 

 which were drawn back, showing the cruel 

 teeth, fell into place. He put his arms around 

 the young coon's neck and dragged him into 

 the nest. Then he licked his ears and head, 

 purring all the time like a big cat. Satan 

 had recognized his son. I had noticed that 

 the sense employed was of smell, and not of 

 sight. I readily understood the meaning. 

 The young coon carried the scent of his 

 mother, and Satan had recognized it, and with 

 subtle reasoning had concluded that he had 

 found his own offspring. Afterward I 

 trapped five coons. One was an adult. I 

 put the four young coons, one at a time, into 

 Satan's cage. Two of these were from the 

 old den, and Satan recognized them at once 

 after sniffing them. The other two were from 

 a distant den, and as soon as Satan put his 

 nose on their ears he fell to mauling them, 

 and I was obliged to take them out to save 

 their lives. 



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