The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-01-11

A Fsvorits Sport OF Boys who Live Nens
tho Western PrairIes.
Only half she boys Of the extreme
west know anything about Mr.. Coyote
Twin brothers TO the grny wolf, uncle
TO brer fox and cousin to the conn
monest cur that sinks In the dark cor
ners of back alleys. little coyote IL =
queer, sly. disreputable fellow indeed
In looks he Is sometimes handsome.
sometimes awful-a regular bad dream
Of thing. It Is when he Ia fat and well
covered with fur that he appears well.
for his sharp. intelligent face. with it's
standing ears, Is not unlike that Of the
fox. while the tail il a splendid brush.
long and thick. His colov. when he is
healthy. Is grayish. shading into light
tawny brown on his legs and 10
whittier gray on his breast and stomach.
But, oh, when he is thin and dirty and
almost hnirlessl What thing he Isl
II Is his life in the sage brush and ON
the plains and deserts that reduces
him TO his pitiable condition. Always
coward, he Is easily driven away from
his food by any other animal that is az
all aggressive. and so he starves fire.
qucntly, and his contact with the al
kali of the deserts is too much for his
hair. 1t gets discouraged and'falls out
as IL he had been moth-eaten. The
long grayish-brown covering of hia
bushy tail Is strewed along his path
until only barren. bony thing 10 left
for him 70 wag. while along his back
and sides great bare patches show his
cold, shiyering hide. under which the
bones are all too plainly apparent.
Mr. Coyote lives on what he can catch
or steal OF find dead. Rabbits. squirrels
and gophers are his game. Sheep,
young calves. chickens. turkeys and
ducks are what he finds easiest TO
take from the farmer, and most any
carrion allures him from nfar TO fill his
empty inside. He pol<cs around alone.
II there be plenty of hunting, and two
or three get together when "times are
little rough" When desperate the
coyotes band together, and then starva-.
than they ever become. And they arc
never long in one locality, be they alono
or in couples or packs, without letting
the neighbors find il out They howl
n dismal, woful. forlorn sound II Is.
When two are together they make the
most and worst racket. So artful DO
they manage the "duet" of yelps, banks
and bowls that almost anyone would
say the two were 20, and - zslghty
singers Mt that.
When war has been waged against
them by many farmers for any length
of time the coyotes become very
scarce" and exceedingly sharp about
walking into or upon any trap. But
when holiness and daring are in them.
as result OF too much libcrality, they,
may be taken I'm steel traps quite readi-
~. There are various "baits" that will
attract them. but dead animal or =
sleeps lungs from the slaughter house
In en- good as can be found. or course.
in the case OF the dead animal, IL In
usually dragged out into the sage-
brush, far from any house, and thcnthe
traps. which should be three or four In
number. are set where they will DO
stepped upon II Mr.. Coyote approaches
TO take bite.
in the other case the best plan Is az
follows; Tying a rope 10 the bait, tho
trapper carries IL, with two traps, out
into the brush until he Is somedistance
from any house. He then throws 10
down and drags IL with the rope for