278 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP. 



on they restrict their roving, seek a permanent 

 abode, and in the coldest weather hibernate com- 

 pletely. This, however, is only in the North, and 

 even there they are liable to awake and stir around 

 during warm spells, and usually emerge from their 

 torpidity in February or early March. They sleep 

 with their heads curled down against their stom- 

 achs and with their faces protected by the furry 

 wrap of the tail, so that they are mere balls of fur. 

 That they are often abroad in winter is manifest 

 from the mark in the snow of their feet, which 

 have five toes both before and behind. 



These tracks show that, although the animal is 

 plantigrade, and when quiet stands on the whole 

 soles of his feet, like a bear, when he walks he 

 treads only on his toes. 



The raccoon eats anything he can get hold of ; 

 and Kennicott has summed up the matter so 

 tersely that I cannot do better than quote his 

 concise phrases. 



"The raccoon," he says, "is omnivorous. It eats 

 flesh of any kind, preying upon small birds and 

 mammals, when it can catch them, and sometimes 

 making destructive forays into the poultry-yard. 

 It devours birds' eggs whenever within reach, pro- 

 curing the eggs of woodpeckers by thrusting its 

 paws into their holes ; it also watches turtles when 

 depositing their eggs in the sand, and, upon their 

 departure, digs them up. This animal is fond of 

 fish, and displays remarkable dexterity in capturing 



