Chap. 2. 



QUADRUPEDS OF VERMONT. 



29 



THE RACCOON. 



THE WOLVERENE. 



will seldom, if ever, attack a person ex- 

 cept in det'ence of its cubs, or when pro- 

 voiied, or wounded. The early settlers 

 of this State suffered most from them in 

 consequence of their ravages upon their 

 fields of Indian corn. They entered the 

 fields in the night when the corn was in 

 the milk and broke down and devoured 

 the ears with great greediness ; and it 

 was a common business for the settlers to 

 watch for them with guns and shoot them 

 while committing their depredations ; and 

 in this way large numbers were annually 

 killed. During the fall, when their food 

 is abundant, bears usually become very 

 fat, and, as the winter sets in, they retire 

 to some natural den among the rocks, or 

 uprooted trees, or into some liollow tree, 

 where they remain in a torpid state and 

 without food until the return of warm 

 weather in the spring. The female pro- 

 duces her young during her hibernation 

 and has from one to five at a litter, but the 

 more common number is two. Their pe- 

 riod of gestation is about 15 or 16 weeks, 

 and during this time the females conceal 

 themselves so effectually that we have no 

 record of any being killed wliile pregnant 

 though they are often discovered while 

 the cubs are very small. When the bears 

 first leave their winter quarters, they are 

 said to be about as fat as when they retir- 

 ed in the fall, but with exercise they short- 

 ly lose their fat so as to apjjoar in a few 

 days much emaciated. When the bear is 

 in high order he is valued for his flesh, 

 his grease, and his skin. He is, witii the 

 exception of the moose, the largest native 

 quadruped found in Vermont, and has 

 been frequently killed weighing from 400 

 to 500 pounds. Their skins are worth 

 from ^2, to .'$4, or $5 according to their 

 size and quality. 



Genus Procvon. — Storr. 



Generic Characters. Teeth 40, — Incisors 



6 canines l.-I grinders .6^ The thiee first 

 grinders on each side in each jaw, are pointed, 

 the others are tuberciilated. Body low set ; nose 

 pointed ; external ears smaHjOval ; tail long and 

 pointed ; feet five toed ; nails sharp ; tnammai six. 



THE RACCUUiN. 



Procijon lotor. — Cuvier. 

 Description. — General color blackish 



alternately ringed with black and dirty 

 white; belly lighter ; tail bushy, like that 

 of the fox, but more tapering, surrounded 

 by alternate rings of dark and yellowish 

 white, about six of each ; head roundish 

 with the snout projecting beyond the up- 

 per jaw and terminating in a smooth black 

 membrane through which the nostrils 

 oj)en ; face whitish in front, with a black 

 patch surrounding the eye and descend- 

 ing to the lower jaw, and a black line de- 

 scending from the forehead between the 

 eyes; pupils of the eyes round ; the ears 

 oval, rounded at the "tip and the edges of 

 a dirty white color ; legs short ; whiskers 

 strong. Usual length of the head and 

 body 22 inches, tail 9 inches ; height 12 

 inches. 



History. — Raccoons were very plenty 

 in all parts of Vermont, when the coun- 

 try was new, and they exist in the moun- 

 tainons and woody parts in considerable 

 numbers at the present time. In the gen- 

 eral aspect of this animal there is some 

 resemblance of the fox, but in its move- 

 ments it is more like the bear. It also 

 like the bear subsists both upon animal 

 and vegetable food and its destructive pro- 

 pensity is well known. It sleeps during 

 the day in its nest in some hollow tree or 

 among the rocks, and prowls for its prey 

 during the night; and is said to destroy 

 many more animals than it consuines, 

 merely sucking their blood creating their 

 brain. It sometimes makes great havoc 

 in tlie farmer's poultry-yard, and being an 

 excellent climber scarcely any roost can 

 be placed beyond his reach. But it proba- 

 bly does most mischief in the fields of In- 

 dian corn, of which it is extremely fond, 

 while the corn is soft, or " in the milk." 

 Here it breaks down and destroys much 

 more than it eats. The Raccoon is said 

 to be fond of dipping its food in water be- 

 fore it eats it, and hence, Linnteus gave it 

 the specific name ot lotor, which signifies 

 imsher. The price of the skin is variable, 

 from 17 to 37^ cents. The largest of 

 these animals in Vermont, weigh iibout 

 32 pounds, according to Dr. Williams, 

 who says that its flesh is eaten and con- 

 sidered very excellent food. 



Genus Gulo. — Cuvier. 

 Generic Characters.— Tee^h 36 to 38— Incis- 

 ors |, canines, |.i., grinders i.i. or |...&. 

 The three first grinders in the upper jaw, and 

 lour lirst in iha lower are small, succeeded by 

 a large carniverous or cuuing tooth, and small 

 tuberculous teeth further back. Body low ; head 

 moderately elongated ; ears short and round; tail 

 short; feet with five toes armed with crooked 



gray which results from the hairs being 1 nails. 



