The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-09
An Uncommon Mean Beast.
characteristics of the Coyote, With an
Anecdote in Point.

Characteristics of the Coyote, With an
Anecdote in Point.
In the unsettled interior of America, on the
great plains, is found the coyote.
The coyote is about two-thirds the size OF a
yellow dog, and looks like secondhand wolf
in Strengthened circumstances He bears about
the same relation to a genuine wolf that the
buzzard does to the eagle, or that chicken
thief does to a modern bank cashier. He has
perpetual air of being ashamed of himself, or
of something he has done. As you catch
glimpse of him, trotting away from one clump
of timber to another, looking back over his
ears, and with his tail furled around his left
leg, he looks as if he was aware that the police
had a clue to his whereabouts, and were work.
ing up his case. No one ever saw fat coyote.
You may catch young one, civilize him as
much as you can, feed him en- canned grocer
les. and put brass collar on him, bnt his ribs
will still be his most prominent feature, ana at
the first favorable opportunity ne VIII volunIa.
rily and ungratefully leave your hospltaDle
roof and, from choice, become rowing yaga,
bond on the prairie, living on carrlon Eand
sharing his meal with the buzzard. THESE
predatory shadows ere not at all dangerous.
There is no fight in them. They are fatal to
sheen when the coyote majority is forty to
minority of one sick Sheep but otherwise they
are quite harmless. What they lack in cour-
age they make up in craftiness. They will
twist themselves into all manner OF grotesque
postures, and tRmble around in the long grass,
that the rabbits or young fawns may, by Curl
osity, be induced to come within reach OF their
sharp fangs. This last playful characteristic of
the coyote, was described to us by friend,
who was New York newspaper reporter, and
acquainted with a coyote that resided in cage
in Central Park. His statements may, there
fore, be relied on, even to the length OF the
grass. The coyote has small head and fox
like ears, but the biggest end of him is his
voice. The mellihuous, silver toned euphony
of one of his nocturnal overtures would scare
a monkey off a hand organ, and make an Ital-
ian opera singer hang himself with envy on
one of his own chords. When he sinks up,
and, seating himself in the twilight of o camp
fire on the prairie, opens out with canticle
and runs up the scale-starting with diminu-
endo whine, throwing in staccato shrek, and
ending with a crescendo howl-the snorite
outburst terrifes the Genus of Acoustics and
makes the welkin ring, until it cracks Itself
and has to be carried off and repaired.
A hardy frontiersman, travelling over the
,boundless prairies of Western Texas, when the
shades of night are beginning to fall, prepares
to camp for the night He stakes out his tired
steed to Craze on the fower-bespangled grass
while he prepares his frugal meal. Having
placed his weapon within easy reach, he
spreads his blankets, and, stretching his weary
limbs resigns himself to the care of the drow-
sy god. Suddenly the air is alive with direful
yells, shrieks and bowls, as if all the Indians
on the American continent had been turned
loose. Does the hardy frontiersman spring to
his feet, seize his trusty rife, and prepare to
sell his life as dearly as possible? He does not
He merely turns over and mutters, drowsily,
''D-n coyote, anyhow" for he knows that of
all the wild beasts that roam the jungle, the
coyote is the most harmless.
aax an0uOh flnigp tn indunA
the inexperienced traveller to believe that
there are at least fifty of them in the immedi-
ate neighborhood. II coyote were assayed,
we venture to predict that he would be found
to consist of one part wolf and nine parts OF vo-
cal ability. The only time when the voice OF
the COYOTE as one of the resources OF Texas,
has any value, is when it is used to take the
conceit ont of some smart stranger from the
Eastern States. The acelimated Texan in
duces the stranger to go with him in pursuit of
game, and to camp out on the prairie or in the
woods, and he enjoys the strangers fear when
he hears the coyotes for the first time, as they
howl around the campfire in 1.-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 bag
gage for dessert. In fact, it is not the policy
of the Texan to convince the stranger.
That this popular fallacy regarding the fe-
rocity of the coyote exists, was illustrated not
long since in the remarks made by Northern
his arrival in the State. He was illustrating
how the needless sinner refused to benefit by
the most earnest warning, in the very presence
of the wrath to come. He said: Dear
friends, methinks see two men walking out
on one of your beautiful prairies. They en-
joy the perfume of the flowers, the songs OF the
innocent little birds, and the calm, quiet beau
ty of your glorious Indian summer evenings.
Communing together, they walk along, heed.
less of danger. The sun sinks to rest beyond
bn FAINT horizon. "a ourtaip of pIOht GRAD
ually descends and closes out the light OF day;
still the two men walk lesurey along, feeling
safe and secure. But harkl What sound is
that in the distance? What blood-curdling
howl makes them arrest their steps? 1t il,
dear friends it is the cry of the wolves on their
traek-the fierce and bloodthirsty coyote in hot
pursuit, ali! And what think you do these
two unfortunate mon do? One OF them, my
beloved congregation, realized his danger, and
running to tree climbed up, by the aid OF
convenient branch, out of the reach of the
cruel fangs of the relentless beasts of prey. He
called unto his companion and SAID unto him:
20, my brother, reach out and take hold OF this
branch, climb up here beside me, and be
saved!' But the other said: No, there is no
danger; the wolves are still a long way OFF,
have time enough Alas! dear hearers, while
he was yet speaking the dreadful coyotes came
upon him and rending him limb from limb,
devoured him in the twinkling of an eye.
Thus it is, o, careless and needless sinners
that you, tonight, stand" etc., etc.
When the preacher concluded the services,
aud was leaving the church, he was accosted
by an old man, Parker, (who has lived in Tex
as since 1867 who said:
"Parson, the front end of your discourse was
grand and gloomy and calculated to bluff the
unconverted sinner. You had full hand, and
might have raked in all the mourners in the
pot; but, Lord bless your soul, you played
nine spot when you Clipped in with that wolf
yarn. Yes, doctor you played-when you got
n that coyote lay l''-Texas Siftings.