58 A negro's story. 



its hinder limbs, and its body coiled up so as to gain all the 

 warmth possible from its own fur. 



To water it is exceedingly partial, drinking freely, and 

 immersing its food, so as to moisten it thoroughly. Hence 

 the Germans call it the Wasch-Bdr, or Washing-Bear. 

 "When tamed, however, it shows just as strong a liking for 

 fermented liquors. 



A negro's story of a racoon will illustrate some of his 

 peculiarities and propensities : — 



"The racoon is as intelligent as a monkey, and very 

 easily tamed. Some three years ago I brought up one, 

 which played with me like a little dog, clambered on my 

 knees, and thrust his head into my waistcoat pockets to 

 see if they contained a tit-bit for him. I was always very 

 careful to keep the door of the jioultry-yard shut, or the 

 little rascal would have stolen my eggs; for, d'ye see, 

 massa, it is his instinct to plunder the nests of the quail, 

 the partridge, and all other kinds of birds. No quadruped 

 is more cunning in discovering the trees where the nests 

 are built. One day, when my racoon had left the house, I 

 found him on the tall poplar-tree which stands at the end 

 of the lawn. The rascal, with the help of his paws, had 

 extracted from a hole in the trunk some young wood- 

 peckers, and greedily devoured them, while the distracted 

 mother was hovering above his head. He showed a keen 

 appetite also for fresh-water mussels, and was an adept in 

 hunting for them in the mud. Tortoise eggs he regarded 

 as a singular treat; and his instinct for tracing up the 

 creature's humid track was something wonderful. Once, — 

 O massa ! see what an intelligent vermin he is ! — I found 



