64 SPOKT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



show fight, and springing into a narrow space, which 

 was bare of the thorny vegetation which grew close 

 around the rock, he took up his position boldly, 

 like a boxer ready for his antagonist. Black threw 

 himself upon it, open-mouthed, in a terrible rage, 

 and towering in height over the little creature, held 

 it at bay. There was a pause of a few moments, 

 during which the animals glared at each other. At 

 last. Black dashed on to the raccoon, and seized it 

 by the chest, whilst the other fixed its shaq) teeth 

 in the dog's right shoulder. Poor Black was 

 severely wounded, but the gallant fellow never 

 uttered a sound, but threw the raccoon on the 

 ground, and managed to squeeze it against a stone 

 and strangle it. Rover arrived on the spot too late 

 to be of any assistance, and I seized the raccoon by 

 the tail, intending to knock its head against the 

 rock, in case there was any life remaining ; but the 

 creature, dead as it was, had taken such a firm grip 

 of my dog's shoulder, that we were obliged to prize 

 its jaws open with sticks, before we could release 

 Black. We had, after all, to carry the poor dog 

 home, and he subsequently died of the wound. 



Six months after that, I happened to be stay- 

 ing with a friend, at his farm near Beaufort, 

 in South Carolina, when I saw a young raccoon, 

 which the overseer of the plantation had taken a 

 few days after its birth and reared. The little 

 creature was scarcely two months old, and had the 



