The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-12
SOME cooN AND POSTUM LORE.

OHE COON N POSTUM LORE.
A Negro Professors Contribution to Nat
ural History In His Own Graphic Words.
From Z,on's Herald.
While holding the Blue Ridge conference last
fall l was the guest OF a Presbyterian lady. who
lived In a lonely. old-fashioned Southern house
under the shadow OF Mount Mitchell and about
two and a half miles from Marion. n. G. 1t was
n most romantic spot. with a noisy brook on
one side, foothills OF the Black range on both
sides. with only a pasture path through sedge
and loblolly pines to the chapel in the woods a
quarter OF a mile distant. and which could only
be reached by a wagon by going to the town
and back again. My hostess assigned an old
white-headed negro. ormerlya slave. to care for
me. and he was assiduous almost to the point OF
pain. Years Of wandering have given me some
capacity for self-help, nor do ] think l wholly
lack the disposition. Andrew had been a house
manners OF a, good family. In early days. as
my, hostess said. he had been a mighty hunter.
and. though past 40. had lost none of his skill,
When some argument came up between us rs
to the anatomy OF opossums. he promptly
the morning session of the conferences: and he
did Andrew was right. and the book l had
l have met no man Of late of keener observa-
ton or closer knoyledGe of the birds and beasts
IRE in the evening. in the hope Of further talk.
which ! was always glad to crafty. SO for
opossnms. making notes OF what he said, with
readers Of Il the He'@id. And 1T" this isY IS What T' he told
me Of ~"coons" and ,",possums"
hunted ufsi ter sF a Year ! IA ae an DE i a mas w ReM. SHs !
i Eia a my po aSsi T hnnss I Dis ef fi@e OBJ k DE- v Of dog 9s
CHICKENS; but in de .snowtime dey makes beds.
and good uns. too. in de hollers OBJ trees and
III ms d nnGlnm mall "a h0rU IL l.Al
OF drv grass and leaves. He don't sleep in de
winter, like de bar lbearl, but JUS t%rabbels.
Ter and cut him out wild an axe. Accom- will fight
a dog as bad as anoder dog, an II he amt a
But. ledge; deere, amt no fight fer a dog In a
possdm; He Jus lay down and show his teeth
sum hab his eye on DAT dog all de- time. some
times a young fool dog cope w an, smell him
dead. But II dat dog jes' turn tail on him one one
mint. dat possum takes to de woods!
\ deere amt much fight IN a nossum. but
Bpf you o a6 les ri Dat bn,s posspm in a tree and he'll
times roun' iittle branch. and den 'hReSil claw
with all his four feet and bito wild his mouf.
whar he am at a disadvantage: lie mus hang
on wtd his hind legs. SO all de coon can do is, to
tight wild his foreleEs and his mouf. OATS why
When use to hunt posspm. my dog would
sls Sn d is 6 sGe9 Of d ima y Ssnf ni s1m b to T tre ae R ls
still ali day; At night de possum don't hunt
for home. but climbs a tree to get rid Of de
bang out on a tree as far as de lin will hold
ter fall and twists his tai! anoder turn roun' do
linn. But dat don't do no good. ease | cut de
tree down. When detree falls de dog will catch
Yer sec dar is two kinds Of possums-de
de fox, Dey is more scarcer dan de gray. Dey
are les as good tel, eat. but don't grow SO big.
postum SSSS don't play dead much 'i Hes ready RiE ior
a fight and he nebber comes so near de house.
s e1s '' aiii IN We fhs T @Sbbe ! IS good rSu fn' fbT 1t ! pG 3si
black, possum won't weigh more dan nine. He's
a bad e. a Rossum 'ca+e hels black! Yah.
Yes. all possums are great chicken thieves,
my chickens in a row. l went to de henhouse
and dar was a possum on de roost a cuttin' OF
quick and set in de henhouse. Den de possum
I poasnm a9 VIII BITE alf mif end h my dog ge EI mh h iobo De
",Coons an, possums don't agree much to-
SSedderr. "a dis yer country Goons live mosly IN
coon tastes more strong Of wildpsss, IS bes'
and and 6 HI1s h fnI f ft's bbes' to a'P put IN a it litt ie0 pork Gvf IN
de- pFssSI / i sS15I, Il 7 IL Ean Rsa to put S"s ye, v 81 an out
e 5s y his q ySdEnS SIDE De eN WRSen sG dey n eit aif bF RGc he ca 1ns,
'em on his back. De old possum les whip his
tail over his back and all de little possums
twist dc ends OBJ dere tails roqn' de big tail and
hol' on right smart. When de possum haln't
nc. young. he les drag his tail after him.
de posspm. When he find an old dead boss or
COW. In de woods he go and git all his young an
feed on him. De possum love dead things.
But mos OF de time de possum lives on nuts,
grapes and simmons. Den he's de bes' eatin'.
But II he's been near a dead COW he taste les
like a turkey buzzard smell. l don't know how
buzzard taste. l never eat none.
De postum Is almos' as smart as de squirrel
bout layin' up stuff for bad weather. He done
lay up ,acorns and nuts. Yet de possum is a
nasty thing He'll eat anything. don't care !
what 1t is. Wildcats is mighty fond OF possum.
de mountains. Sometimes dc possum gets so
fat he amt no good only to throw away.
But, Jedge. dars much more 'citement
huntin' coons dan poesums. Dey both have
about four young uns. and deyll fight for 'em.
Never see none with more than four. Dere's
one dog unless he's a very pertickler good
dog. Ebery time de coon's hand tech a dog he
tears de dogs nose. mouf and ears. After a
young dog hunts ooons for a while dat dog
knows somethin'i De dog mus'throw de coon on
his back and ketch him on his breast. It's in do
night dat we go for coons. De coons tears our
corn all to pieces. De dog ginerally trees de
coon on a big tree unless de coon Is pushed
berry close, Den we cut de tree down. or. II he
on a small tree. shake him down. De coon ia
don't hurt him, none. He fall on his side and
de dog covers him and dey's both In for an
awful fight,
coons an possums."