DO MEN THINK r 109 



craw fish existed, and the method of capture might 

 be claimed as an "inherited automatic instinct," 

 whatever that may mean. But no inherited knowl- 

 edge could have helped my pet to solve the follow- 

 ing problem which I invented to test its common 

 sense and power to reason excuse me, I mean in- 

 stinct. 



Selecting about a peck of the largest, huskiest 

 craw fish the river could produce I dumped the 

 whole of the fighting, armored creatures in a heap 

 in front of Mr. 'Coon. 



No similar experience of its ancestors could 

 help the four-handed fisherman in this dilemma, 

 but the 'coon was equal to the emergency. 



Walking up to the rustling heap of claws and 

 long waving antennae, the raccoon straddled its 

 legs wide apart, covered the animated heap, and 

 gently settled down upon them as a brooding hen 

 might settle upon a nest of eggs. To my surprise, 

 the craw fish made no effort to escape, apparently 

 "thinking" that they were safely concealed from 

 their enemies. 



With what seemed to me to be a twinkle in its 

 cunning eyes, the 'coon proceeded to fish out one 

 craw fish at a time and leisurely devour it, until all 

 that remained of that heap of armored knights was 

 a lot of scattered claws and tails, marking the spot 

 where, by 'coon sense, a 'coon had solved a dif- 

 ficult problem in a simple, practical, common sense 

 manner. 



