RACCOONS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 7 



And quoting Kalm further (Benson 1937, pp. 242-243) : 



I have already mentioned something of the raccoon; I shall here add more of 

 the nature of this animal and its mode of living in its habitat, in a place which is 

 properly its native country [vicinity of the then village of Uaccoon at or near the 

 present town of Swedesboro, N. J.]. The English call it everywhere by the name 

 of raccoon, which name they have undoubtedly taken from one of the Indian 

 nations; the Dutch call it hespan, the Swedes, espan, and the Irocjuois, attigbro. 

 It commonly lodges in hollow trees, lies close in the daytime, never going out 

 except on a dark, cloudy day; but at night it rambles and seeks its food. I 

 have been told by several people that in bad weather, especially when it snows 

 and blows a storm, the raccoon lies in its hole for a week without coming out 

 once; during that time it lives by sucking and licking its paws. Its food consists 

 of the several sorts of fruit, and corn, while the ears are soft. In gardens it often 

 does a great deal of damage to the apples, chestnuts, plums, and wild grapes, 

 which are its favorite food; to the poultry it is very cruel. When it finds the 

 hens on their eggs, it first kills them, and then eats the eggs. It is caught by 

 dogs, which trace it back to its nest in hollow trees, or by snares and traps, in 

 which a chicken, some other bird, or a fish is put for bait. It generally brings 

 forth its two or three young in May when it prepares its nest. Some people eat 

 its flesh. It leaps with all its feet at once; on account of this and of several other 

 qualities many people here reckoned that it belonged to the genus of bears. The 

 skin is sold for eighteen pence at Philadelphia. I was told that the raccoons 

 were not nearly so numerous as they were formerly; yet in the more inland parts 

 they were abundant. I have mentioned before the use which the hatters make 

 of their furs, that they are easily tamed, and that they like sweetmeats, etc. 

 Of all the North American wild quadrupeds none can be tamed so easily as this 

 one. 



In regard to the duration of hfc in the raccoons under natural 

 conditions, no information is now at hand. Such data shoidd become 

 avaihrble in the future through the tagging or otherwise mariving of 

 animals captured and liberated. According to Flower (1931, p. 177), 

 a male raccoon lived in the Rotterdam Zoological Garden from Sep- 

 tember 30, 1890 to May 6, 1900, 9 years, 7 months, and 6 days, and 

 an albino was in the London Zoological Garden from May 6, 1884, 

 to February 27, 1898, 13 years, 9 months, and 21 days. He also 

 mentions a crab-eating raccoon that lived in the London Zoo 15 

 years, 10 months, and 5 days. Lowery (1936, p. 19) quotes Claude 

 Odum of Bernice, La., who said that he kept a raccoon in captivity 14 

 years. 



FOOD AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES 



Throughout the vast range of the group, raccoons favor the vicinity 

 of water in forested regions; but they also occur along streams travers- 

 ing open desert areas. Although raccoons are tridy omnivorous, 

 feeding to a considerable extent on a great variety of plant substances 

 such as acorns, beechnuts, berries, persimmons and other fresh fruits 

 of many kinds, and corn in the "milk" stage, most of their food is 

 obtained in or near shallow water in swamps and marshes, and along 



