West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-04-27
RouNpEp uPBY COYOTES.
s. Innis Globe-pemocfat

You never saw tue artlstie way
the Nevada wolves wOald round up
the jack rabbits, | suppose, re-
marked Joseph Grandelmyer, the
old-time Nevadan, yesterday at
is the eleverest bit of strategy lev
err heard of. There are several
kinds of wolves all through the
State. but the coyotes are by far the
plentiest. In the Humboldt, Smoky,
and other valleys the coyotes form
in military line, often times along
some old road, as | have most fire.
quently seen them, and thus system
atically 90 on regular drive.
They stretch out over great
area of country, the coyotes being
stationed somewhere near a mile
apart. Once they get sight OF
Jack rabbit his name is Dennis.
He may take to the sagebrush and
and elude the coyotes for a time.
Fifty or ahundred coyotes can thus
in a short time rake in q terrible lot
of rabbits, If the coyotes are hun
CRY it is about the rarest sport one
can witness. They 90 at the hunt
with so much ardor and with such
perfect system.
A coyote on his own account can
usually forage successfully for feed.
He is sly, like a fox, and, always
with an eye out for number one, he
generally has his belly full, and lots
of fat sticking to his ribs; but if
the weather has been bad and he
gets separated from his fellows on
accommodating tour he may have
hard time of it.
In the sagebrush jack rabbit
can generally manage to elude a
coyote. He can get in and out
quicker. while the coyote being big
ger. is delayed by the brush, and
can't get in and out like rabbit.
"But after lot Of hungry wolves
have held a council of war and de-
cided to go on hunt, it is time for
the rabbits to hunt their holes.
There is always music in the air
about that time, and the weird bowls
of the wolves sound like distant
reveille.
The rabbits seem to understand
the situation, too, and scamper hith-
err and thither over the plains and
rolling hills. 1t is not long, how
ever. till the wolves marshal their
forces. They begin by making
wide detOur over the hills, lesseniug
the size of the circle as they adj
vance, and holding all the rabbits
they get in as skilfully as a fisher
man handles his seine.
The jack rabbits are all of =
tremble when they see how their en-
emies have them hedged about, and
lump helpleSsly into the air, and ut
ter pitiful cries.
The wolves merely watch the
sides warily, and look on vindict
lively, with tongues lolling out
through their white teeth, and eyes
sparkling, expressive of the knOwl-
edge that they will soon have some
fine eating.
AS the wolves Draw nearer to-
gether the quick snap of their jaws
is heard as they snip the threats of
their victims, and they fall dead
from loss of blood.
when every rabbit is killed, the
coyotes sit down on their launches to
very comfortable banquet, and
never let up until they have taken
aboard so much rabbit meat that
they can hardly stir.
"Then they slowly meander off to
their homes, wherever they may be,
and if there is lot of rabbit meat
left, as there may be, they put in an
appearance again at stated inter
walls, until the whole is consumed.
AFTER lot of coyotes have had a
talk, so to speak, and decided to go
on a hunt. they will sometimes 60
to rough region, where they know
the rabbits abound, and lay siege
for them in another way. Certain
brigades will Chamber upon the high
rocks and hilltops surrounding a
canon, and drive the game down in
to the depths below, other relays of
wolves having previously been plac-
ed at the entrance and at the weak
places. They oftentimes get great
many into a canon in this way, and
thus speedily finish them.
1T is generally in the very early
morning that the coyotes sound
their reveil!e and go after the rab-
bits"