The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-07
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morning session Of the conference; anc
he did! Andrew was right, and the
book | had read was wrong.
/ have met no man of late of keenei
observation or closer knowledge Of the
birds and beasts around him. Finding
me interested in what he knew he would
linger after mending my fire in the
evening, in the hope of further talk
which 1 was always glad to crafty. Sc
for several evenings I made him my in
structor as to deer, bear, wildcats,
snakes, raccoons and opossums, making
notes of what he said, with view of
sharing my knowledge with the readers
of the Herald, And this is what he told
me Of "eoons" and ''possums.
Yer see. ledge, I'm an ole man now,
but hunted up ter year ago. I allus
went alone wild my dog. Takes per-
| ticker kind Of dog for 'possum hunt.
Dis time oh de year de'possum come
near de houses, looln' fer CHICKENS, but
| in de snow time dey makes beds, and
good uns, too, in de hollers OBJ trees and
stumps. De 'possum make a berry nice
bed of dry grass and leaves. He don't
sleep in de winter like de bar (bear), but
JUS LIdDDGlS. w Hell uS SuOW ID Ollt yGI
kin track him to his holler and cut him
out wild an ak. A coon will fight a dog
as bad as anoder dog, an If he amt a
very pertickler good dog, de coon will
whip i'm. But, ledge dere amt no fight
fer a dog in a 'possum. He JUS lay
down and show his teeth an den make
believe he's asleep. But dat 'possum
hab his eye on dat dog all de time
Sometimes young fool dog come up
an smell him and nose him roun while
dat possum play dead. But If dat dog
jes' turn tail on him one mint, dat pos
sum takes to de woods
mo, dere amt much fight In pos
sum, but sometimes an ole 'possum fight
right smart But you jes' git dat pos
sum in a tree and he'll whip coon. If
he's in a 'simmon (persimmon) tree de
possum viii whip his tail two. three
times roun little branch, and den he'll
claw wild all his four feet and bite wild
his mouf. But de coon cant hang on
wild his tail. OATS whar he am at a
disadvantages; he mus hang on wild his
hind legs. So all coon can do is to fight
wild his foreegs and his mouf OATS
why de possum ticks him.
when I use to hunt possum, my dog
would git on de scent and hunt him to a
tree. De possum Is one of desc yer
night birds. He lie still all day. At
night de 'possum don't hunt for home,
but chimes a tree to git rid OF de dog. A
'possum wild dog after him IL he is
near home will jes run in. But, CINE
rally. he hang out on tree as far as de
i,,,, ,,,iu I,;v r .l, ,lra Ia
He thinks he gwine ter fall and twists his
tail anoder turn roun de linn. But dat
don't do no good, case I cut de tree
down. When de tree falls de dog will
catch him.
Yer see dar Is two kinds Of 'possums
de gray and de black. De black will
run same as de fox. Dey is more scar
Ger dan de gray Dey are jes as good
ter eat, but don't grow so big, case dey
is kind Of small possum. Black pos
sum don't play dead much. He's ready
for a fight and he nebber comes so near
de house, but stays in de woods. A good
fat gray 'possum will weigh mebbe fif-
teen pound, but fat black 'possum
won't weigh more dan nine. He's bad
lookin' 'possum case he's black! Yah,
postum.
Yes. all 'possums are great chicken
wuss dan sum low niggers,
One night / heered my chickens in
row. I went to de hen-house and dar
was a possum on de roost a cuttin' of a
chicken roun' de neck. / done git light
quick and set in de hen-house. Den de
'possum jump down quick and my dog
git him. De 'possum will bite mighty
hard. Yer mus choke him off or tear
him out.
"Coons an 'possums don't agree much
togedder. In dis yer country coons live
mosly in de rocks. Some say 'possum is
de best eatin'. I say coon! Postum
tastes pretty good, but de coon tastes
more strong of widness. De bes' way
to cook a 'possum is to bile him until
he's half-done, and den put him in de
stove oven and bake him. It's bes to
put little pork in jes' to season him.
Fore T forgit it, wants to put yer
IN about de possum carryin his young
uns. When dey is very young, he car
~ em in his pocket, JUS on his under
side, When dey gifts big he carry 'em on
mis- back. De old 'possum jes' whip his
.ail over his back and all de little pos
sums twist de ends OBJ dere tails roun'
lie big tail and hor on right smart.
When de possum hain't no young, he
es' drag his tail after him.
''Deres one ting, ledge, l don jes' like
bout de possum. When he find an old
lead boss or COW in de woods, he go and |
,it all his young an feed on him. De |
possum love dead things But mos of |
lie time de 'possum lives on nuts, grapes |
Ind simmons. Den he's de bes' eatin.'
SUIT if he's been near dead COW he |
astes jes' like turkey buzzard smell
don't know how buzzard taste, I new
r eat none.
de 'possum is almos' as smart as de |
quirrel bout layin' up stuff for bad |
Weather. He done lay up acorns and
luts. Yet de 'possum Is a nasty thing.
He'll eat anything, don't care what 1t is.
Wildcats is mighty fond of 'possum.
Eats is plenty about seven miles from