90 



HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 



AFTER A WILD CAT. 



the dogs in full chase as 

 she passed me in the open. 

 Coons are very num- 

 erous, but usually only 

 wander about at night, al- 

 though I have occasionally 

 seen them on the edge of 

 the mangrove swamps in 

 the da3'time. Young dogs 

 often tind them while hunt- 

 ing for other game. A 

 coon will climb a tree 

 when he has a chance, if 

 he hears the dogs near 

 him ; but sometimes he is 



not quick enough. I 

 have seen good-sized 

 coons run up a small 

 bush w h e n closely 

 pressed and no large 

 trees were handy. On 

 one occasion the bush 

 was not high enough 

 to be out of reach of 

 the dogs, and they soon 

 had him down. An- 

 other time the dogs 

 discovered two coons 

 in a small open prairie, 

 and for a few moments 

 they had a lively time, 

 as a full-grown coon 

 knows how to bite and 

 is a good fighter. 



LARGE WILD CAT. 



