ODDITIES 245 



who sets his heart on a tame fox is sure to 

 come to grief some day by finding his pet 

 become a savage hunter of chickens and 

 turkeys. 



More amenable to civilization are the rac- 

 coon or coon, as popularly called the opo^s- 

 sum, the prairie-dog, and others, besides the 

 most common of pets, the rabbit and the 

 guinea-pig. The raccoon has long been a 

 favorite pet. He is intelligent, fond of fun, 

 and loves to frolic with children, whom he 

 never harms. He is personally neat, and 

 readily becomes so thoroughly domesticated 

 that he loses all desire for freedom. This, of 

 course, when he is well fed and cared for, and 

 not caged. He will eat anything from the 

 table, and is often fond of coffee to drink. 

 He is somewhat inquisitive, it must be con- 

 fessed, and will now and then treat himself to 

 something out of the pantry, pulling out a 

 cork and uncovering a jar as handily as if he 

 had done it all his life. Therefore, a pet coon 

 must be locked out of the provision-rooms. 



The opossum is another pleasing little fel- 

 low, who, being sharp-witted and knowing, 

 will look out for his own comfort. When 



