Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
SOME COYOTE STORIES.
Amusing Peculiarities of the Gra,
DeD1zen of the Prniries.


Amusing Peculiarities of the Grax
DeDizen of the Prniries,
One day last week I took walk near
the National Geological Park. Lobengula,
the young lion, lifted his voice in mighty
roar and tried 10 imagine himself back in
AFRICA. whence he was brought when a few
months old. The Esquimaux dogs in an
out-o1-door Enclosure heard him. and thew
100. began to sing of home-a noisy MOURN
Iul song, full OF suggestions Of snow banks
and icebergs and of cold chills running
down your back. The other dogs of yar!-
Gus kinds Joined In. and last, but not least,
the wolves and coyotes.
II was the song Of the coyotes that an
peaieo most to me- 1t carried me in fancy
70 the place where both they and l once
lived, and recalled to mind some of the ex-
periences had there
Our homes were in western Kansas lust
beyond the hundredth meridian, in what is
sometimes called the Subarid region. Ny
habitation was a stone or rather a chalk
house. while theirs were crevices in the
blufrs OF chalk or in holes " hich they dug
In the ground
Coyotes arr flesh eaters in the main and
the winters that are favorable for cattle
and other stock are very hard for them
Ihey depend on jack rabbits and the ca r.
cases OF cattle. sheep and horses for their
WINTER supply OF meat, especially If the
chicken houses are kept fastened A yacca,
the same which is grown in the east for
ornamental purposes, Is indigenous there.
ana Is found In great numbers where the
SOIL Is stony and poor. When the coyotes
are hungry in winter and can get nothing
more to their TASTE they tear the leaves
from the central stalk and eat the tender
PUPPY mass which is then exposed. In sum-
mer their bill of fare is more varied as We
had reason to know.
Ore time we had an unusually fine patch
OF watermelons. We had watched their
growth with interest. for in that country
where there are no apples, peaches or ber-
rleS or any sort-in fact. fruit at all ex-
cept Wild grapes and very rarely wild
pIuHs-meioas are great dainties. The
first one to show signs of ripening was
nne specimen We looked at it nearly every
day. and at last decided that in TWENTY
four hours more 1t would be in condition to
carry to the spring house to get cool I'M
agine our disappointment when we went
out to get 1t, for instead of finding a lus-
cious. juicy melon. we saw an empty rind,
Many times that summer we had the
same experience but at last we saw the
mischief maker at work. coyote sneak
ed up to the patch. going here and there
until he came to a melon We were expect
ing to pick the next day. He looked all
around to see IL he was likely to be mo-
Tested. and thinking. I suppose, that we
were too far away to trouble him, he went
to work He scratched at the melon as a
dog does when he digs hole in the ground
He gnawed at it and clawed at 1t until he
had an opening through the rind We could
see him scratching out and eating pieces Of
the luscious Interior and drinking the Juice
1t was more than the herder, a lad of six
teen years, could stand. He took the shot
gun and 2rept cautiously toward the patch
The coyote was so interested he did not
see him coming. and John had time for a
good aim The coyote fell dead without
struggle. As there was a bounty of 81 on
each pair Of coyote ears. John felt repaid
h,1t
got through wondering how that wolf knew
the best melon.
I saw two coyotes trying to get a calf
one day. 1t was young and its legs wob-
bled so 1t could not run. It's mother bel
lowed and five other cows ran to her as
sistance. They arranged themselves in a
circle around the calf, and when a wolf
would come near one Of the cows she would
charge at It. The cows could have pro-
tected the calf perfectly. but rode over in
their direction. knowing that when they
saw me the coyotes would run away. They
did not get the calf that day. at any rate
One evening all Of our people about the
ranch were sitting In the door yard ad-
miring the beautiful cloud effects. A men,
Der OF the party called our attention to two
coyotes walking among the chalk bluffs an
eighth OF a mile away. They strolled lei
surely around. finally sitting down side by
side on the highest point We had good
opportunity to watch them. One was full
grown, the other not more than half. We
decided that they were mother and son.
After sitting still few minutes. the moth
er thrust her nose up into the air and rails
ed her voice in a shrill howl. She followed
that by succession Of swapping. plaintive
yelps which came thick and fast: some
times high. sometimes low. but making
such a volume of sound that 1t seemed i'm
possible 1t could all come from one small
throat. 1t would have taken five dogs at
least. and all working hard, to have made
so much noise.
When she had finished the young coyote
t~f. = ~lw<
his voice cuavered and he stopped, discour-
aged, before he was half through His
mother went through 1t again. laying spe-
cial emphasis on the prelude. He certainly
succeeded better with that the next time
and after five or six trials sang 1t all fairly
well. They sang 1t together the last time
and the effect was very fine.
We had a shepherd dog-a very intelli-
gent animal-that kept watch over the cat
tie in the daytime and the house at night
One night I was alone on the ranch. The
various members Of the family had gone
away on business. and Captain, the dog.
and Tommy Traddles, the cat. were the
only companions I had. Tommy Traddles
slept in the house and Captain Just inside
the storm door. which left open. The in
side door was fastened.
In the night I was awakened by pecu-
liar snarl under my window. Looking out.
I saw a coyote gnawing bone Captain
had left there the evening before. Captain
heard him a few moments afterward and
house as though he would devour him. He
suddenly changed his mind. however. for
instead of running. the coyote kept his
ground. as we'll as the bore. showing his
teeth and snarling frfghtfully. I threw
open the window and urged Captain to go
at him. He did go, and the coyote. more
frightened at the sound of human voice
than at the dog. fed into the darkness. with
Captain after him. In few minutes l
heard them coming back. This time the
coyote was after the dog. Captain was in
furiated because he had to run home and
was barking ferociously, snarling and
growing. AS they came near the house
his courage strength ened. while that of the
coyote weakened; SO when again called to
Captain things were once more reversed,
and 1t was the coyote who was being chas-
ed. They had 1t back and forth for nearly
an hour. when the coyote became tired and
went away.
THE BARRIERS OPINION