New Jerfey, Raccoon. 63 



according to their fize. Some of the ladies 

 get muffs made of thefe fkins ; but for the 

 greateft part they are fent over to England, 

 from whence they are diftributed to other 

 countries. The old Swedes told me that 

 the Indians formerly ufed to eat all kinds of 

 Hem, except that of the mink. 



I have already mentioned fomething of 

 the Raccoon ; I fhall here add more of the 

 nature of this animal, in a place which is 

 properly its native country *. The Eng- 

 lijh call it every where by the name of 

 Ratcoon 9 which name they have undoubt- 

 edly taken from one of the Indian 

 nations ; the Dutch call it Hefpan, the 

 Swedes, Efpan, and the Iroquefe, Attigbrv. 

 It commonly lodges in hollow trees, lies 

 clofe in the day-time, never going out but 

 on a dark, cloudy day; but at night it 

 rambles and feeks its food. I have been 

 told by feveral people, that in bad weather, 

 efpecially when it fnows and blows a ftorm, 

 the Raccoon lies in its hole for a week to- 

 gether without coming out once ; during 

 that time it lives by fucking and licking its 

 paws. Its food are feveral forts of fruit, 

 fuch as maize, whilft the ears are foft. In 

 gardens it often does a great deal of damage 

 among the apples, chefnuts, plumbs, and 



wild 



* The village of Raccoon. 



