286 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP, x 



frost is out of the ground, they capture more 

 insects, noxious and otherwise, than at any other 

 time, except, perhaps, when grasshoppers are preva- 

 lent. Some captive 'coons are 'cute about beguil- 

 ing chickens within reach. Mr. C. L. Herrick 

 relates, in his " Mammals of Minnesota," that his 

 pet abstained for weeks from harming the hens 

 and chickens until they lost all fear and clustered 

 about the animal to pick up the crumbs whenever 

 he was fed. Then suddenly he profited by this 

 education and had many a good dinner off his 

 dupes before his credit was lost. I have been 

 told of another pet raccoon, in western Pennsyl- 

 vania, which was kept chained in a yard and fed 

 on bread and vegetables until he longed for flesh. 

 One day he was observed to break up his bread 

 between his palms and scatter the crumbs in a 

 line from the uttermost reach of his tether to the 

 mouth of his artificial burrow. Then he went and 

 lay down, very quietly, as if asleep. The chickens 

 wandering about struck the trail of crumbs, and 

 innocently followed it up to the nose of the hum- 

 bug in fur, who snatched one or more with a leap, 

 and twisted their heads off. I cannot so vouch 

 for the accuracy of observation here, as to be 

 certain that the scattering of the crumbs was 

 intentional ; but I believe that such a device is 

 quite within procyonine capability. 



The prime delicacy of the world in the 'coon's 

 opinion, however, is Indian corn, in that same 



