Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1882-02-22

Oharneanraasara - 49, ssn~.~a~ ..aSn.
a Aoecices G HSlnt. ~
lFrcm ~ Texas sistasa.J
In the unsettled interior ol Amefics
on the groat plains u found the coyote.
The coyote 10 about two-thir1s Til
size Of . yellow dog, and looks like !
secondhand wolf In straitened circunl,
stances, He bears shout the same rela-
ton to the genuine volt that the bur.
card does to the eagle, or that i chicken.
thief does to : modern bank cashier.
He has the perpetual air Of being asham.
ed Of himself or Of something he has
done. AS you catch : glimpse Of him.
trotting away from one mott Of timbei.
to another, looking back over his ears.
and with his tail hurled around his lefi
leg. he looks as Il he WA avare that m
police had q clue 10 his vhereabonta
and were working mn his caae. Ma ~
ever saw tat coyote. You NAV catch !
young one. ciyilizes him at much a vou
can, feed him on canned groceries. m
put brass collar on him. but his ribs
will be the most prominent feature. and
at the first favorable opportunity he viii
voluntarily and ungratefully leave your
hospitable roof and. from choice. become
rowing vagabond on the prairie. liyina
on carrion and sharing his meal With nm
buzzard. These predatory shadow ~
not at all dangerous. There Il no fichi
in them. They are fatal to sheep when
the coyote majority Ia forty 10 : minor.
ity of one sick sheen. but otherwise thev
are quite harmless. What thev lack n
courage they make mn in crafiinesa
They will twist themselves into ali man.
ner of grotesauc pastures. and tumble
around IN the long grass. that the rabbit
or young fawns may, 81 curiosity. X
induced to come within reach Of thei,
sharp fangs. The last riayful character.
iisaio Of ths cgyutu w. deAeribed % u
by q friend, who was New York news.
paper reporter, and acquainted with /
coyote in Central Park. His statement
may, therefore, be relied on, even to the
length of the grass. The coyote has q
small head and fox-like ears, but the big
gest end of him is his voice. The melli-
huous, silver-toned euphony Of one of his
nocturnal overtures would scare mon
key offa hand organ, and make the Ital-
ian opera singer hang himself with envy,
and one of his own chords. When be
sinks up, and seating himself in the
twilight Of campfire on the open prai-
RE, opens out with q canticle and runs
up the scale starting with diminuendo
whine, throwing in staccato shrek and
ending with crescendo howl the SON.
critic outburst terrifies the Genus oi
Acoustics and makes the welkin ring, I'M
til it cracks itself and has to be carri-
ed of and repaired.
A hardy frsntiersman, travelling over
the boundless prairies OF western Texus,
when the shades Of night were beginning
to fall, prepares to camp for the night.
He stakes out his tired steed to Craze on
on the flower. bespangled grass while he
prepares the frugal meal. Having placed
his weapons within easy reach he spreads
his blankets, and, stretching his weary
limbs, resigns himself to the care OF the
drowsy god. Suddenly the air is alive
with direful yells, shrieks and howls< az
if all the Indians on the American cont.
nent had been turned loose. Does the
hardy frontiersman E2ring to his feet.
seize his trusty rifle, and prepare to sell
his lie as dearly as possible? He does
not. He merely turns over and mutters
drowsily oh coyote anyhow, TO,
be knows that OF all the wild beasts that
roam the jungle the coyote ID the mosl
harmless.
One coyote at night can make enough
noise to induce the inexperienced travel
or to believe that there are at least fifty o.
them IN the immediate ncighborhood. u
coyote was assayed, we ventureto pred
lot that ne would be found to consist ofont
part wolf and nine parts OF vocal ability
The only time when the voice OF thecoy.
ote, as one OF the resources OF Texas, hal
any value, is when it is used to take thu
conceit out OF some smart stranger from
the eastern states. The acclimated Texar
induces the stranger to go with him IN
pursuit OF game, and TO camp out ON tht
prairie or IN the woods, and he enjoys
the strangers fears when ne hears the
coyotes for the first time, as they how
around the campfire in " the dead waste
and middle OF the night. 1t is difficult
to convince the stranger that the coyote
will not make meal OF him and eat his
horse and baggage for desert. In fact,
1t Is not the policy OF the Texan to con-