14 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 60, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



hor lioad, showinp; hor teeth and aj){)areiitly snarling at the male, 

 althougli even at the short distaiUM^ no sound was heard. The male 

 quietly slipped from her, and holh animals moving only a few feet 

 immediately resumed their search for small crabs that were numerous 

 in the marshy ground. The fur on the lower part of the back of the 

 female had become considerably rumpled, but this was ignored by her 

 in the search for food. 



HIBKKNATION 



The winter activities of raccoon vary in southern antl northern 

 latitudes. In the southern United States and southward the raccoons 

 are active throughout the year. In the North these animals become 

 torpid, and there is a kind of hibernation or partially suspended 

 animation, similar to that of the bears and only approximating the 

 deep lethargic winter sleep of some other northern animals. In 

 describing behavior in winter in Canada, Wesley Mills (1892, sec. 4, 

 p. 50) refers to W. Yates, of Hatchly, Ontario, and says: "This 

 observer has made some very interesting ol)servations on a tame rac- 

 coon {Procyon lotor). This creature lived in a hollow log lined with 

 straw and drowsed away the greater part of December and January, 

 leaving any food placed before him unnoticed. The raccoon is 

 known to spend the greater part of the winter in hollow elm trees 

 in this part of the country, and Mr. Yates points out that the cutting 

 down of most of these trees resulted in the raccoons betaking them- 

 selves to underground burrows including those once occupied by 

 foxes." According to Seton (1929, p. 252): "In the Red River 

 Valley [Canada], the sleep lasts from mid-November to early March." 

 Concerning hibernation in the Adirondacks of northern New York, 

 Merriam (1884, p. 93) writes: "The Raccoon hibernates during the 

 severest part of the winter, retiring to his nest rather early, and 

 appearing again in February or March, according to the earliness or 

 lateness of the season. Disliking to wade through deep snow he 

 does not come out much till the alternate thawing and freezing of the 

 surface, suggestive of coming spring, makes a crust upon which he 

 can run with ease." 



ECONOMIC STATUS 



Raccoons are naturally prolific, and owing to very extensive geo- 

 graphic range and adaptability the forms of Procyon lotor constitute 

 a wildlife asset of major recreational and economic importance. In 

 the extreme scarcity of money in pioneer days raccoon skins supplied 

 an important element in helping the people to maintain their existence. 

 In 1788 (Chase 191 1) the residents of a mountain section in Tennessee 

 organized the local "State of Franklin." Money was scarce, and the 



