The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-09-11
MANS ANIMAL ENEMIES.
THERE ARE ABOUT TWENTY Of
THEM IN THIS COUNTRY.

e Agriculture will offer novel con-
+r;bution to natural history. The topic
will be: "Animals Supposed to BE
Foes of Mankind" and it will tell
about the mammals and birds naslve
to thissauntry which are supposed 10
be hostile to human beings and thelr
industries.
tt cannot be said that in the United
States bounties have brought about
the determination of single species
of animal in any State. The rarity OF
wolves east of the Mississippi River Is
rather due to the settlement OF the
country than to the number killed Tor
rewards. On the great plains, where
civilization has not encroached upon
natures domain to any great extent,
the wolves have not decreased percep-
tibly, notwith ,sanding high premiums
paid for scalps. Almost undoubtedly
COYOTES, which are o small breed OF
wolves. have increased in California
during the last three years since the
bounty on them was withdrawn, so
that there are now as many OF them IN
that State as ever. California, Mon
tana and Texas offered IS apiece for
COYOTE scalps for some time, the out
Law aggregating hundreds of thousands
dollars; but the results were unim-
portant. Iowa and Minnesota are the
only Western States which now pay
more than So per wolf scalp, and ID
Iowa the rate for young wolves IS 81.
Meanwhile in some parts OF the
country wolves and coyotes are very
destructive. In New Mexico they kill
from $3.50, 900 to 100000 worth of
sheep annually, and in Nebraska the
damage done to sheep is reckoned at
800, 600 year. One difficulty IN the
wolf problem lies in the fact that it is
impossible to secure the cooperation
of all the States. The lack of agree
ment on the subject of bounties in gen.
eral opens a wide door to fraud. Scalps
taken in localities where rewards are
low are shipped to place where preml-
INNS are high, and thus it often hap
pens that county is compelled to pay
for animals that did not belong to 1t.
At the present time the bounty on
wolves and coyotes varies from 81. 90
to SIS. the latter price being paid in
| the Black Hill regions of South Dako-
| ia. In North Dakota it is 81; 1T Is IS
in Montana and Wyoming, aad in Iowa
it is S., except for young animals.
Thus rewards may be claimed profit
ably in Iowa for coyotes killed In North
Dakota.
The wolf bounty in Nevada was iii J
cents when California was offering %
for scalps. Consequently, thousands
of scalps were shipped from Nevada to
California, aud large numbers OF them
were actually imported from Mexico. SO
that California found herself getting
poorer at distressing rate and the
bounty law was repealed. Owing to
ignorance of natural history on tae
part of local authorities, heads OF do
nestle fowls, cartridges, pheasants,
cuckoos, butcher birds, ETC., were ac-
cepted and paid for as those OF hawks
and owls under the ''scalp act" IN
Pennsylvania. The skins OF dogs and
other domestic animals are frequently
turned in for those of wolves and coy
otes. In the case of small animals the
heads are sometimes accepted IN one
county and the tails in another county
50 that the premiums are collected
twice..
One interesting effect of the bounty
system is to encourage the breedlne
Of the animals outlawed. 1t is salt
that in India many natives are regular
" engaged in the business OF propa
: eating snakes for the sake OF the pre-
miums offered by the Government TO
venomous serpents. There Is
doubt that the same thing has bee
done in this country with various an
1 mails for which bounties were granted
For example, the eggs of hawks an
owls have been taken from the nest
and Matched under hens. In Iowa
few years ago it was said to be MOI
profitable to rear coyotes for the boul
!, ty than to raise sheep, and Kentuck
:. and New Mexico have recognized IL
= possibility of breeding wolves by r
quiring afidavits showing that IL
animals had not been raised for til
cake of rewards.
The pocket gopher is one OF Il
: worst enemies man has to encount
y in the animal kingdom. 1t does all
= work underground, the lines of ]
= tunnels being marked by dead and d
;. ing plants. It's burrow runs foot
= less below the surface, and is dug +
- the purpose of getting at the roots I
80 which it feeds. One may travel +
y weeks in region infested by gopher
- and vet see not one of them; they lab
:, a and destroy unobserved. The buffa
~ in their past abundance were not on
= tenth so numerous. The. gophers
- not disappear before man, but rema
n in the cultivated fields, making hay
: among the crops and killing the orc
. ards. The little beast is very bray
:, not hesitating to attack a man
" slight provocation. When young
looks strikingly like baby, bel
hairless and pink, with round he
O. and fat hands. 1t runs backward
a rapidly as forward through its tunne
n and it's equipment of teeth is so adm
- rable that it is able to make 49,
nil cuts minute.