The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-08

set It down that ii won't do for two old
male coons to get into the same tree
together, because if they should there
would be one of the hottest fights any
one ever saw between four-legged ami
mails? think not. Yet can tell you
that these are all facts, for I've seen
'em.
In the middle states the coon seems
to thrive the best, If we may judge by
| the size he attains there. The south
ern coon won't weigh within as much
as five pounds, taking the average. as
one that grew up in New York, Penn
| sylvania, or New Jersey. The coons
that are killed, as general thing. are
the light weights l have noticed that
! particularly, and my theory OF il IS
that when coon gets large and heavy
II becomes hard matter for him 10
roam about much, and he feeds in
smaller range.
Why are coons so seldom seen? Well.
the coon is what you might call night
1 hand. He stays home all day. or rather
/ she does, for the male coon is a rest
| less chap, and if you ever see a coon on
/ the tramp in the day time YOU can set
| it down that il is male. The home OF
the coon is in the snug hollow OF some
| good-sized tree, or perhaps q cave in
some high and safe hillside, where by
no possibility any random rover, either
! dog or hunter, will ever stray. Then
| the coon never makes any more noise
| than a bbit does, and was never vet
betrayed By sound. In the summer
nights he steals to the brooks and the
| swamps and marshes for Ssh, frogs.
mussels. snails, grubs and lizards. fish
ing with great dexterity, and digging
with unerring instinct for insects that
| live under the soft earth. The coon is
particularly fond of crawfish. The
way he fishes for them is to wade in
the creek, generally going down stream.
The crawtish live under the stones on
the bottom. With his forepaws the
coon feels under each stone he comes
to, thrusting one paw under one side
and the other at the opposite side 1t
is comical sight to see coon fishing
for crawfsh. He keeps his head high
in air, moving 1t up and down and TO
and fro, his eyes evidently gazing at
nothing, every sense seeming TO be
concentrated on the business beneath
the water. You can tell instantly when
the coon has fastened upon a crawfish,
for the expression on his face changes
at once from the dull, vacant stare TO
one of brightness and animation He
draws the crawfish out of the water.
and, standing on mis- hind feet. rolls il
smartly between his paws. This brushes
the shell and claws of the crawish.
and makes the sweet meat more ac-
ceptable. The coon eats his capture
with great relish, then begins the
search for another one.
When the green corn is tender and
in the milk, every night viii find the
coon diligently at work diminishing
the farmers crop. Later on. when the
barberries and marsh Gran berries are
in season, the coon seeks the spot where
they may be found and feasts and
grows fat. And he loves grapes. The
coon will soon strip a vine of its clus-
tiers, eating the grapes just as a person
does, squeezing out the luscious pulp
and dropping the skins on the ground.
In eating the coon piles the skins in
little conical mounds beneath the
vines, so that there need never be any
doubt as to what sort of robber has
been at the vines. In September, Octo-
Der and the later months beechnuts,
chestnuts and acorns become the food
of the coon.
At the first blast of winter the busy
little animal betakes itself TO its snug
hollow in the tree or other nest it has
provided. and, if the stock of fall food
has been plentiful and good, will sleep
without care until thawing weather
sets in with the approaching spring.
If the coon has had to turn in for the
winter without having had sufficient
supply Of food to fatten him well, his
sleep viii be disturbed. and in such
cases the chances are better for seeing
a coon in the day time than at any
other time, for he will crawl from his
nest, and, even though the snow be
deep and the wind piercing, wander
abroad in search of sustenance, regard
less of the consequences. At such times
the coon will boldly approach and en-
hope of obtaining mouthful of some
thing to eat, and is most woe DegOne,
hag2ard, and pitiful object to behold.
Funny as it may seem, / can find
more sport in good oId-fashioaed
coon hunt than in any other kind Of
hunting you may name. and know
many IN old boy like n- who thinks
just the same. The one thing needful
in a coon hunt is a good dog. The
trail OF the coon il the coolest OF am
known game animal. A dog with the
finest kind Of nose, an intelligence
beyond the ordinary, and training Tor
his work, is necessary to follow this
trail successfully. Besides its difficult
trail the coon has many tricks 10 con
fuse both hunter and dog. 1t VIII fre-
quentlv run up tree a few feet and
jump from II IN another direction a.
far as possible and thence take q devi-
Gus course. This ruse never fails 20
throw the best OF dogs off, and BY the
time the trail IS found again. II IL Is
found a. al. the coon has put miles be-
tween him and danger.
When a coon - brought % tree IN.