Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-08-28

! from Labrador to California. Like most
/ Wild ouadrupeds, il has retreated be-
| fore the advance Of civilized man, and
/ now chiefly nhabits Northern and
| Western forests and the more unsettled
/ districts of the United States. IL varies
/ somewhat ia size and color in different
/ localities, the largest variety being the
/ Rocky Mountain or giant wolf. Its Tar
| northern forms have denser FUR aud
/ more powerful muscles than any others.
! In Mexico IL is known by the Spanish
7 name ,obo, pronounced lovo, which the
/ Texans have changed into lover, and
/ sometimes rover. The few wolves re-
maluing among our southern Allegheny
/ Mountains, as | have been told by
/ hunters there, are widely rowing In their
+ habits, travelling 0y night in small packs
/ 10 search of their prey from one noun
tain to another.
All wolves live in pairs in summer
/ providing for their cubs, and hunt IN
packs only during the colder seasons,
/ So great is their speed and endurance
| that mOderate-siZed pack have been
| known TO compass the death OF a 0uiIa-
| 10. have been asked why ii is that we
/ so seldom hear of an Instance in which
/ packs OF American wolves have hunted
\ down and slain human beings, while in
| Eastern Europe such occurrences are
/ comparatively frequent. l am inclined
\ 10 attribute this difference to two cause:
| first, wolves are less abundant and are
| better supplied with food here than in
[ Russia; second, hunters are far more
| numerous here and all wild animals have
/ more occasion to dread the shot
/ gun and the rife, Man, the most help
/ less of beings with his unaided strength
/ becomes the worst foe of animal life
when assisted by the firearms he has in
vented. Even those fiercest OF Quadru-
DedS, the grizzly bear and the peccary,
\ are learning 20 dread the death-deallng
/ weapons OF man.
| The prairie wolf is q very different
/ type from anything known in the Old
/ World. This interesting animal, though
I found in great numbers In its native
/ hauntS, has a much moreover range
/ than the gray wolf, being confined to
! the broad, treeless plains OF the far
| West aud Southwest, where it is known
/ by it's Spanish name, coyote, pronounced
| li0ty By the hunters. 1t is considerably
/ smaller than the gray wolf, averaging
about the size of collie dog, 10 which
I 10 bears some resemblance Ia color and
general appearance.
Coyotes, unlike the gray wolves, hunt
siugly or a few together, never in large
packs. 1 have known six or eight TO
/ collect about a hunting camp when
1 fresh meat had been hung up, and the
noise they make at such tunes is simply
I fearful. One takes up the howl OF an
other, soon third joins In, and then, as
/ ifata given signal, all unite In dismal
and deaisning chorus. There is no
| sleeping when several coyotes howl
/ around the camp, and they often keep
I 10 up all night. a concert OF cats on a
/ city back fence is no approach to IL.
A gun fired among the serenadins
/ COYOTES quiets them only for a few
| minutes. The best way to abate the
nuisance is 10 poison some meat or
piece Of game with strychnine and lay
/ it at q little distance from your camp.
{ The music will soon cease and IN the
morning you will ind few dead coy
otes near the poisoned meat. Strych-
nine is quick in It's effects and the other
| COYOTES, Seeing che fate Of their COM
rades, leave your neighborhood and
/ keep away from IL. Ranchmen In the
/ West often poison both kinds OF wolves
| in this way on account OF their depre-
| dctiOus on stock.
The coyote Is more intelligent,
/ sharp witted beast than his big cousin,
the gray wolf. 1t is stated by reliable
/ eye-witnesses that the coyote in order
| TO secure a dinner of jack rabbit, and
probably reasoning that one rabbit will
make a meal for two wolves, enters into
/ an arrangement with brother coyote
/ % ioin him In the hunt. No wolf can
/ siugly run down a jack rabbit, and If
/ the latter should run in straight
course no number Of wolves could pos
sibly catch IL: but the rabbit nearly al
WAYS runs In wide circle, because 1t
is its nature TO return 70 its ma
tive slope or pasture. Accordingly
Que Of the two coyotes hides
himself near the spot where the
chase begins, while the other purSues
the rabbit 81 the top Of his speed.
Away they 60, the rabbit gradually
curving his course and finally coming
back 10 the starting point
Now tho tired coyote rests, and the
fresh one springs out OF hiding and takes
his turn at swinging around the circle.
If the rabbit has wind enough TO OutrUn
the second wolf, the hrSt one takes an
other round, which is usually enough to
wear out poor Jack, and the cunning
COYOTES have earned their dinner. 1t
has been known 70 happen, though
rarely, that the rabbit has left his circle
and made long straight run, whereby
the uursuers "gOt left
But YOU must not infer from what has
been said that the coyote Is slow run
uer: on the contrary, no dog except the
greyhound and the famous Russian
w0If-hound can outrun him. Even al
ter overtaking him, no single dog could
master the wolf, whose agility and
fighting qualities are so well developed
trat the dog would soon retreat from
tine contest. have known two power
fn. dogs 20 rush from our camp In
Southern Texas and attempt 10 drive a
COYOTE from It's meal. IL was a complete
failure. There was tremendous
snarlinz and crashing Of teeth, and
soon two badly whipped dogs came
sneaklnC back into camp, one OF them
severely bitten in the neck and shout
der. Three or four wolf-hOunds or ST.
berian bloodhounds could doubtless kill
coyote; but II less than six OF them
should unite against big gray wolf
they would all be glad 70 draw off before
the wolf had been much hurt.