3/3 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



This species brings forth from four to eight young at a time, 

 in the hollow of a tree ; and while the mother remains with 

 them she is a terror to bull-frogs, fish, and even bii'ds and their 

 eggs. She has also the fondness of the bear for honey, and 

 will even risk an encounter with a dog to obtain it. Both 

 sexes pay much attention to cornfields and orchards, and revel 

 in the milky kernels or the juicy apples and pears. I have 

 frequently hunted a brace of them out of an apple-tree, and 

 when they reached the ground the dogs and themselves 

 generally had it out, unless they gave indications of being 

 able to get away, when a shot-gun brought them down. 

 Bull-terriers or large Irish-terriers, would be capital dogs for 

 hunting them, as these have the combativeness and strength 

 necessary to engage in a fair fight with them. For trailing 

 them in the woods the latter would be the better, owing to its 

 keenness of nose and endurance, and the readiness with which 

 it learns the habits of the creatures it pursues. 



The raccoon is hunted principally on moonlight nights, and 

 pleasant sport it is if one is with a jolly party, and the dogs 

 are large and brave enough to relish a struggle. When the 

 animal is treed, the tree in which it has sought refuge is 

 generally cut down, and should it attempt to escape it is shot, 

 or is killed by the dogs. 



The negroes of the South are the greatest coon-hunters, 

 and they spend many an hour of the night in the woods with 

 dogs and guns to obtain the animal, whose flesh is considered 

 by them to be unexcelled in delicacy of flavour. Coon-stew 

 is a favourite dish with them, and so highly is it prized that I 

 heard a negro preacher say that " Heaven is sweeter dan a 

 coon-stew, or cabbage biled wid a hog's back-bone." 



As a specimen of how fond they arc of it, the whites relate 

 an anecdote about two of them who were out until morning 

 in search of their beloved game, but captured only one. AYhen 

 they returned to the house, they were very sleepy; but Jem 

 told Sam that if he would sleep for a while and then relieve 

 him, both could have a nice nap before the coon, which was in 

 the pot, could be cooked. Sam complied with this, and was 

 soon last aslerp and snoring loudly. As the flesh of the coon 



