Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-22

eler. Emigrants over the famous Santa
Fe trail-the original path OF Coronado
and his little band OF Spaniards-wrote
Or danger TO the horses legs 10 crossing
these settlements, ''some OF whlcnI
adds one chronicle, 'were, we judged,
ten miles across" Perhaps the writer
exaggerated the distance, but certain 10
is that thousands OF the lively little crea-
tures congresate and build their queer
homes. The excavations are thickly
scattered, aud before each opening Isl
little mound OF earth. This is the own.
er's vine and fig tree, and he sits there
in the sunshine. tall and slender, with
6.lntv forepaws extended, chatterlng a.
the rate OF abous 100 yaps q minute. III
one approaches him he will zap the
fa.ter. ..chit, chit. chit, chit, chit" a
whirl. a dash, a shower OF me sand OK
gravel AZ tina brisk hind legs ny out,
and he yanishes into the lower reeesses
~ his retreat. Place your ear TO the
hole and You hear him scurrying alone
FAR below. He is safe from the world
and all its yanlties and veNations-
earthquakes, foods aad armer ex'
cepted.
TIE prairie dogs furrow leaves the
/ surface OF the ground az an angie or 10
degs. and goes down an indefinite dis
lance. Those who have followed the
hole eight or ten feet have not only
fonnd no end, but have been able TO
| Denetrste Il as far as a lO-foot pole
would reach and still heard the Inmate
laughing 10 himself farther down. III
Is asserted that some Of the wholes y
each ''town' go down TO water, ana ~
can well be believed, for frequently
the villages are located on the plains
miles from a living stream.
So enterprising have the little crea-
ture proved that some western counties
have offered bonnties for their scalps'
and thus their destruction has oeen
swift. For this reason, as we'll as De-
capse OF the voluntary determination
entered npon by the settlers, the race Is
being rapidly exterminated. ana the
animals will soon be even more desirs-
bic as ~menagerie and museum attrac-
tions than now. And even now be Is q
great curiosity 10 the little folks. lie
Is always so cunning, so livery ana SO
richly humorous. he seems always the
clown OF the collection. chattering
away and vigorously shaking his Sunny
tail at every syllable. There seems a
direct connection between his teeth and
his tail that impels simultaneous motion.
The popular belief THAI the prairie
dog. the owl and the snake form n happy
famiy and live In sweet contentment In
the dogs burrow is one OF the fallacies
OF observation. The pictures repre-
sentlng such n combination are the
work OF artists who never saw the
praire dog on HIS native heath. The
~burrowlng owl aud the snake would eat
the young prairie dogs, and the snake
would probably eat the owl. In de-
serted dog holes the owl unquestiona1y
resides, aud rattlesnakos also conhscate
such burrows for their homes, but never
do all three live together.
The prairie dogs always choose dry
well drained locations for their towns,
and hey have a decided taste for corn
and wheat. Grass and hay they nibolo
like rabbits. and as pets they are per-
fection, being nimble. jolly aud, as the
ladies say, 'cute."
That they will increase in value rap
idly, owing to the effort made to-
ward their extinction, cann1t be
doubted II will not be long oeigo
there will be only relics Of the prairie
dog as there are now OF those other
queer earth jewellers OF the Far west,
L. the m~oundbuilders. c. Nj. HARcEh'