The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-03
Prairis-DOg Towns.


his own house where he lives with his
mate; couple as domestic and proper
as one could wish to see. If you lie in
the grass quite still, some distance
away, you can hardly help Laughing at
the ridiculous mimic they make Of their
betters. They visit and return again.
One sits sedately upon his hinder legs.
nibbiing an especially nice bulb, and
hinging the bad pieces away with par
ticularly impatient and spiteful gesture.
Another comes, and sits himself down.
and begins 10 investigate the distant end
of what his neighbor is eating. Then
they quarrel. vow can hear them com
planning a long way of BY and by, of
course, one of them gets it all. They
are always visiting. Each dame in the
settlement is thoroughly acquainted, no
doubt, with the arrangements of each
OF her friends bed chamber. An the
day long, until night settles down, there
is constant running to and fro and
chattering- Among all the houses. all
alike, each one knows his own, and will
always endeavor to reach it in case of
alarm. There are few who have ever
seen the inside Of a prairie dogs resi-
dence. 1t is not intricate, like the TIM
mel of the mole, but it is so deep and
capacious that a great deal of DIGGING
and many pails-full of water are neees-
sary to cause him to abandon it. His
house, like the Englishman's, without
any constitutional provision to that eff
feet, is at once his house and his castle.
The beaver has long been celebrated
as builder, but many Of his lesser
neighbors are almost equally skiIlful.
Any day when it begins to rain one NAV
see the prairie-dog at work repairing
his residence. His principal object
seems to be to make the mound HIGHER
and this is the way he does it. One
goes down inside after dirt You can
see 1t flying out at the top in little
spurts. The other removes it from the
mouth Of the opening as fast as If
comes. When a sufficient quantity has
been thrown out, they begin to shane
the mound. One goes to the base and
pushes the new earth upward with the
fore paws, not backward, but as one
throws upward with an armful of anv-
thing. The other takes this earth as Il
comes spreads it very nicely, and takes
great deal of pains. But it seems
that this earth must be hardened.
made compact and smooth. The beaver
acoomplshes task of this kind Inv
striking it with his heavy and hairless
tail. Our friend has no tail to sneak Of
though what there is is one of the
most acknowledgement of all ornamen-
tai appendages-and for this work he
must needs use his head. This is the
most amusing part of the process. Curl-
ing himself into proper shape, he ducks
his good-looking frontispiece between
his fore-legs, and administers n opiol
succession of thumps upon his work NJ
the vlgor and effectiveness of which
you would be astonished. Then the
top Of his head is encrusted with a coat.
ing OF earth, and in this predicament he
has the ludicrous appearance of having
on cap of dark material and curionS
pattern.
But the marked characteristic Of o,r
friend is that voice of his. which has
given him his reputation. The moment
stranger approaches, the whole SETTLE
ment set up n clomor which does not
subside as long as they can see him Inv
climbing upon the tops of their houses
and stretching their short bodies TO the
utmost extent upward. If he comes
too near, there is a most precipitste de-
pRrture for home; hundred feet
twinkle in the air at once as thew disor-
pear But he has the faculty of revers-
ing himself with the celebrity of a poli-
hcian, and almost at the same instant
his head appears above the surface
again; and as the intruder passes ON
he raises his voice in that sharp. ouern.
Ious, ill-natured squeak. fully satisfied
no doubt, that he has given his enemy
terrible fright.
In truth, he himself is not easily
frightened. The broad highway passes
sometimes through the midst his
village, and he remains there T =. wears
aiterward. His castle, before mention.
ed Is almost complete security from
harm. BE is always ready to make that
sudden disappearance and reversal os
himself, If killed, he falls into his
Mole, and an individual is seldom cauobt
away from his village. Water is NOT
one OF his necessities. Vigilance is his
great characteristic. knowing that his
food consisted Of the soft bulbs. near
the roots of almost all grasses. and see
lng that the immediate neirhborboo5 of
his village was always brown and almost
Dare, have often wondered when he
made his cautious excursions in search
OF food, Afterward, ON moonlight
night, have seen dozens of them bur-
Tying home, alarmed at my distant an
proach, and never uttering a squeak
until they we're at their own thresholds
IN captivity the prairie-dog becomes
tame even to familiarity. He IL hand
some, vivacieus and miscellaneous. But
ne Is ever ready for sly nip at care
less finger. He is astonishiagIy capable
OF self-defense, considering his size.
ana when caught in a corner, as no sell
dom Is, however, will make defense
not by any means 70 be despised. The
Truth Is, that the desperate bravery Of
some OF the small beasts far exceeds
the Wanted courage Of men. I have
known pointer dog TO retire invlori-
o''sl y, and with iaeernted nose. from
contest with a prairie-dog. Quick as
Thought, be puts his teeth through an
neautious finger and hangs on in spite
OF vigorous shaking and when he has
his victims sufficiently frightened and
hurt drops and is gone like a flash.
Finally, it may be remarked that our
inond is creature Of character and re-
spectability. He chooses his mate, and
they keep house together for years in
the most exemplary manner. He is no