"Nurse," said Lady Mary, "I did not think that beavers and racoons could
be taught to eat sweet cake, and bread, and meat."
"Many animals learn to eat very different food to what they are accustomed
to live upon in a wild state. The wild cat lives on raw flesh; while the
domestic cat, you know, my dear, will eat cooked meat, and even salt meat,
with bread and milk and many other things. I knew a person who had a black
kitten called 'Wildfire,' which would sip whisky toddy out of his glass,
and seemed to like it as well as milk or water, only it made him too wild
and frisky."
"Nurse, the racoon that the gentleman had would drink sweet whisky punch;
but my governess said it was not right to give it to him; and Major
Pickford laughed, and declared the racoon must have looked very funny
when he was tipsy. Was not the Major naughty to say so?"
Mrs. Frazer said it was not quite proper.
"The racoon, Lady Mary, in its natural state, has all the wildness and
cunning of the fox and weasel. He will eat flesh, poultry, and sucking
pigs, and is also very destructive to Indian corn. These creatures abound
in the Western States, and are killed in great numbers for their skins.
The Indian hunters eat the flesh, and say it is very tender and good; but
it is not used for food in Canada.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129