Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-09

W. ,~1 either, and he is treated
~ ,LrSfasf2> lie likes chickens and
fEE EEs he dotes on sweet corn
and therefore he is
voted . nuisance and an enemy; for his cum
ming and perseverance in robbing hen roosts,
and in foraging through the garden make him
a marked coon in every sense of the word
But. coming out only at night time, lie must
be hunted then. or never. since he never moves
by daylight.
The raccoon (piscyor lator) is the only AMI
NAL Of its Kind in America 1t is a very near
relative to the black bear and has been play
fully called the wash bear" by many observers
who have watched its antics az ii sportei In the
water edges of creeks and rivers, where IT Is
very fond of going, since it greedlly eats frogs
and crayfsh, and on the sea coast and its
estuaries il is . great fisherman for crabs. and
when thus engaged it affords an entertaining
study and has given rise to no end of queer
fables about its method of fishing and Grabbing,
using Its tail as bait, &c.
HIS METHODS OF YoRAGISa.
From the strict habit of this interesting ami
NAL to do all Of its moving about only during
night it il very difficult to give more than a
general outline Of its peculiar method of for
aging for existence. 1t is a tree dweller and
always resorts to the hollow of some tree trunk
to rear its young in and TO pass the daytime
intervals in sound sleep. 1t has from four TO
six young, and rears these in this arboreal re-
treat. They are brought forth usually in the
spring, aud the coon mother devotes herself to
their care for several months, or at least. until
they are about as large herself; she leads
them down at night into the best resorts Of
their chosen prey, and she mas not got to go
far, for they can and do eat most everything
such a. mice, birds eggs and the helpless young
turtles and their eggs, CLANS crabs, crayish,
insects, nuts Of all kinds and orchard fruits,
sweet corn in especial, and any green corn for
that matter, and frequently. far too frequently,
they visit the farmers hen house. more for
eggs and young chickens than the old birds.
Thus 10 will be observed that though the
coon lives in the tree tops, yet it does not find
it food there, though 1t is a most expert
climber. 1t 10 . rather slow traveller when on
foot over the ground, and il would be easily
run mp tree by any active man, could that
man see IL and where to run when 1T is out
prospecting; therefore the services Of the coon
dog-that yellow cur that sportme n 8 tales have
fastened IN our mind-are called into play.
Brer coon is endowed with a very fresh scent,
and il is . very poor stick of dog that cannot
track him. Small as the coon is, yet it can
make an ugly fight and winning one usually
pisted against only one dog but it seldom
offers battle when pursued il it can reach any
kind of a tree trunk or sapling. 1t will. if pos
sible, gain the largest tree in the thicket. know
ing that II is just so much more inaccessible to
the noisy dogs and men that are hot on its
trail
HIS LIFE AND HABITS
Whole volumes have been written descriptive
Of the fun and endorsements Of the coon
hunt, but very little has been put into type Of
real information as TO the life and behavior of
this queer, sly beast. as il leads its nocturnal
existence in the forests and the groves that
abut our farms
The white mans acquaintance with the coon
dates usually from the corntield to the garden;
the fondness OF all coons, young and old, for
green eorn-corn in the milk" Is wonder
fuI, and Il Is safe TO say that no patch OF maize
that grows near woods or dense thicket In
the middle and eastern United States is I'M
touched by the coon, unless that region where
1t is not so disturbed has been literally scourged
Of all coons.
When the ears have well tasseled ont in a
corn patch and the kernels have developed so
~ to be plump like and juicy. the raccoon de-
seends upon the field with the most apprecia-
tive appetite: it climbs the stalk, and, seizing
the growing ear, IT wrenches il down, and of it
10 pulled to the ground: here the fore paws Of
the coon some into play lks our hands. for the
husks are stripped back and away from tie
kernels and the animal feeds sweetly and fat
upon them; it becomes dainty and wasteful
when In . large patch and pulls down bushels
anu bushels Of ears In a single night when
half . dozen cleanly eaten would gorge IL The
havoc which q dozen OF even less number Of
eoors can make during the growing and ripen-
ing season in scch q corn neld can be well ur,-
derstood, AID the reason fo- that promptly or
dered coon hunt when IL is found TO have been
Ut work In the farmers field is abundant and
good
As general thing the coon does not disturb
the hen roost and Its work there As to damage
and mischief is very much less than it is popu-
larry credited with, for much OF the uproar and
destruction which the weasel inficts upon the
farnisrs poultry 10 wrongfully charged up to
the raccoon-
He HrBERSArEs N WINTER.
The coon does not migrate. but hibernatss
during the coolest and most severe periods Of
winter. He will be found out all times during
the hyenal season when the weather is bright
and the snow il not soft and deep. He then
hunts industriously for the la-va and the like
Of insects, which his sharp claws dislodge under
covers Of tree trunks. bark and dead branches
On the ground He also finds few nuts per-
haps, but on the whole. he does very little
eating moving about between December and
March, q rule, IN this locality.
The hollow limb or tree trunk which the coon
takes up for its nest and place Of retreat is
never lined or otherwise improved by this ami
NAL. and II is usually selected so as TO be as
high up AZ possible from the ground; here il
rests, brings forth its young and from which il
descends every time the sun sets in pleasant
weather TO start out for food over some we'll
known trail When a coon walk" is discovered
by man 10 b an easy matter to catch the animal
by placing an ordinary steel trap IN the path
baited with almost anything that the coon eats.
The coon skln. stretched and drying on the
farmers barn. is one OF the most familiar of
rural signs, and n coon skin cap with the deeply
barred tail u tassel has been a favori,e with
voodsmen ever since th0 first entered the
American forests. A young coon Is good eat
ing when wei served, roasted or broied, but
the adult is not free under the most skiIltul
manipulation OF the cook from Interior odor
which detraetsfrom the relish Of the spread
HOW ne Acrs IN A CAGE.
A rsecoon makes an easily kept cage animal.
and 10 10 often found 30 confined When awake it
10 the most restless Of all creatures pacing to and
fro necessarily within its bars, being almost
always IN motion when In its cage and not
coiled MP in sleep. 1. is very fond Of sugar and
all sxeeimeats, and. strange to say. is will
Rrsedily drink strong sweet alcoholic cordiais
-. l..l.. firaar