New Jerfey, Raccoon. 89 



part of fpring, beginning their noife foon 

 after fun-fetting, and finifhing it juft before 

 fun-rifing. The found was (harp, but yet 

 fo loud that it could be heard at a great 

 diftance. When they expefted rain they 

 cried much worfe than commonly, and be- 

 gan in the middle of the day, or when it 

 grew cloudy, and the rain came ufually fix 

 hours after. As it fnowed on the i6th of 

 the next month, atd blew very violently all 

 day, there was not the leaft fign of them 

 at night, and during the whole time that 

 it was cold, and whilft the fnow lay on 

 the fields, the froft had fo filenced them, 

 that we could not hear one ; but as foon 

 as the mild weather returned, they began 

 their noife again. They were very timo- 

 rous, and it was difficult to catch them ; 

 for as foon as a perfbn approached the 

 place where they lived, they are quite 

 filent, and none of them appeared. It 

 feems that they hide themfelves entirely 

 under water, except the tip of the fnout, 

 when they cry. For when I ftepped to 

 the pond where they were in, I could not 

 obferve a fingle one hopping into the wa- 

 ter. I could not fee any of them before I 

 had pmptied a whole pool, where they 

 lodged in. Their colour is a dirty green, 

 variegated with fpots of brown. When 



they 



