landing on his mother's soft back to save 

 himself trouble. Then she led the way to 



the doorway among the rocks, and the young 



followed in single file, winding about on her ' .71*^ &Gdr 



trail, stopping and sniffing when she did, and ^L O 

 imitating her every action, just as young bear 

 cubs do when roaming about the woods. 



At the mouth of the den she stepped aside, 

 and the young filed in out of sight one after 

 another. The mother looked and listened 

 for a moment, then scuttled away through 

 the woods as a clear tremulous whinny came 

 floating in through the twilight. A moment 

 later I saw her on the shore of the pond with 

 a larger coon, her mate probably, who had 

 been asleep in another hollow tree by him- 

 self; and the two went off along the shore 

 frogging and fishing together. 



The mother had scarcely disappeared 

 when the little ones came out of their den 

 and began playing together, rolling and tum- 

 bling about like a litter of fox cubs, doing 

 it for fun purely, yet exercising every claw 

 and muscle for the hard work that a coon 

 must do when he is called upon to take care 



