The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-06

not being watched A continual barking
win be heard from the adjacent holes, and
if the visitor will observe closely and re-
main Silent he will see several bright eyes
peerng at him from the holes in question
The barking of the prairie dog is like the
shrill "cheep, cheep. cheep' of a bird,
which it much more nearly resembles than
the barking of a dog, and so long as the
visitor remains so long will the chipping
be heard as a warning to the others.
When once the inhabitants of the village
have thus taken refuge in their holes they
will not come out until the visitor leaves
1t is disputed question where the prai-
RE dogs get their water in country
where there is little or no surface water,
some individuals even going so far as TO
say that water must not be necessary to
their existence, but the general opinion
Of the plainsmen is that in every village
there is at least one hole which extends
down to the water supply beneath the sur
face and this is doubtless correct.
There are several other erroneous opin-
ions current in regard to the prairie dogs,
and one is that the dogs snakes and owls
live together For this opinion the pic
lures in some of our school Biographies
are partly responsible as they are repre-
scented as living in great harmony, but
the artist who drew the pictures must
have depended more upon his imagination
than his actual experience, for the opin-
ion is misleading.
1t Is true that the snakes live in holes
in the ground, but they are not the ones
occupied by the prairie dogs The owls
are about the size of an ordinary screech-
owl. but with a spread of wings exceed
ing two feet. The holes in which they live
are apparently those which have been
evacuated by the prairie dogs, and the
same is true of the "dog-hole rabbits
which likewise live in the ground but the
prairie dogs hold their abodes as their
own peculiar property
Should snake chance to get into a
hole Inhabited by one of the dog families
a great outcry is Immediately raised in
the village and they begin to rush in from
every quarter. They set to work furiously.
tumbling the loose earth around the
mouth back into the hole and In an in
credibly short space Of time have buried
the snake several feet under the ground.
When the hole has been filed they pack
the earth about the mouth of the hole
very tightly with their noses. as beaver
,ises his tail, and thus the snake has crept
into his own sepulcher Many holes which
have been filed in this manner may be
seen, each marking the resting place of a
lucl1less intruder. Should you see a snake
enter the hole of one of the dog families,
and will drop in a dry clod from above, the
next moment his snakeship will emerge
a
dreading the danger which is imminent.
The prairie dog when grown Is about
twelve inches long. and of beautiful light
brown color. When captured young they
become very gentle, and are very affec-
tomato pets so much so, that they will
eat from ones hand, and often want to
even sleep with their owner. The writer
knows OF one which was given away for
thls reason. as such familiarity bred a
spirit OF dislike. They are great curiosi-
ties TO tourists, and many are purchased,
TO be carried away, and to survive for a
greater or less extent of time, when re-
moved from their native surroundings.
sad II Is TO relate, but the settlers re-
gard the prairie dogs as a nuisance.
should they choose to make the edge OF
a corn field their home, they will cut down
every stalk Of corn near their holes. the
settlers SOY, TO insure better protection
from hawks The same is true Of a wheat
field. In the large canyons, which are the
winter quarters of the cattle, they are TO
he found in numbers running far into the
thousands. and are very destructive to
the winter pasturage, for which reason
they are poisoned by the wholesale by
the cowboys. Thus, with the settlers ar
raved against themssthe cattlemen m open
arms. the snakes and the small boys after
their young, the wolves capturing them
when they can, and the hawks doing like
Wise the life Of the prairie dog is far from
being one continual round Of pleasure.