RACCOON. 29 



docile and tame, but their nomadic proclivities are so strongly- 

 inbred that they will, unless chained, wander off to the woods and 

 not return. Coons are hunted throughout New England quite ex- 

 tensively and also down south. They are ranked next in merit to 

 the opossum by the sable autocrats, who take great delight in fol- 

 lowing the broad-footed mammal. When the late September days 

 are on us and the moon is at its fullest quarter, the yellow stalks 

 with their milky ears of corn still standing — then is the season for 

 the hunters to assemble, and with their coon dogs, from one to 

 three in number, to start for the borders of swamps skirting the 

 corn-fields, in search of this member of the ring-tailed family. He 

 is emphatically a night animal, and never travels by day ; some- 

 times being caught at morning far from his tree and being unable 

 to return thither he will spend the hours of daylight snugly coiled 

 up among the thickest foliage of some lofty tree-top. 



The corn is still in the milk and in a condition most attractive 

 to the Raccoon. If he is not started in this locality, look for him 

 along the banks of the lily pond near by. He is exceedingly fond 

 of the bull frogs and catfish which here abound, and will travel 

 far for these dainties. As soon as the trail is struck, off goes 

 " Tige " or " Bose " and the only thing left for us is to sit and 

 wait for the signal. The Coon is somewhat adroit in his attempts 

 to baffle the dogs, and he will often enter a brook and travel for 

 some distance in the water, thus puzzling and delaying his pur- 

 suers not a little. Soon a distant barking reaches our ears, coming 

 from a direction quite different from where we had anticipated, 

 showing that the game has made good use of time and tactics, 

 but is at last treed. 



After a tedious tramp o'er hill and dale, we arrive at the foot 

 of a gigantic pine, among the topmost branches of which our 

 quarry is concealed. The youngest and most nimble of the party 

 is appointed to swarm up the tree and shake off our victim. As 

 the climber nears the object of his pursuit, the latter retreats to 

 the extremity of a branch, and finally in desperation springs wildly 

 outward and strikes the earth, rebounding to his feet apparently 

 unharmed. Upon him then, the dogs vent their rage. 



A good sized coon will weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds. 

 Raccoons are frequently caught in steel traps, and exhibit much 



