Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-10-07
fE ARTFUL COYOTE

IL ARTFUL COYOTE
S UGLY, coWARDLY, SMART, .RAs-
cALLY AND TRICKY.
no Art of Disappearing From View
'i,e q Streak of Fading Light He Is
usually Profacie .ut-His Peculiar Abil-
= rs . Musician.
hat is a coyotep A coyote is a little
nal Of the wolf species that inhabits
ruothills of the Rocky mountains. he
bout 1S inches high and long in pro-
ion, and ia the embodiment of duplic-
His color is Understandable. He is
Ter white nor black nor yellow, nor
othcr we'll defined color, but a sort of
ling of all, producing a hue that an
DO described as coyote. He is not
utiful either in appearance or charac-
There Is nothing attractive about
~. Ho is not troubled with conscien-
as scruples. Neither Is he brave, and
Won't fight unless he ia compelled to.
3 is u scrub wolf in every sense Of the
frd.
Ills physical beauty is about on a par
gl his moral aspect. He has q little
z shaped head, In the front Of which,
~ close together, Is q pair Of tho bright
&, BLACKLIST, wiokedest little eyes that
y shone in the moonlight. He does not
car to be possessed of any great amount
rains, but there Is more unadulterated
ling wrapped up in his hide than can
fnund in the same amount of space
where else in creation. Tho man who
lines that a coyote does not under
I'd his business just because he has not
Ugh forehead will soon learn that the
inciples of chronology do not apply to
Is epitome of everything that is smart,
.~seally, tricky and impudent.
IN regard to his ability to get yer
.oundSin other words, to change his
.sts-too much cannot be said. It is a
,od deal like the wind. You cannot tell
ltgncc no cometh nor whittier he goeth.
.hcn he makes up his mind to place a
amount of space between himself
ID IL givon locality, he does not stand on
% order of going. He does not run in
common acceptation Of the term, but
suddenly transforms himself into q
My defined streak of gray light that
miners across the landscape for an in
ant and then sinks into Oblivion 90 far
mortal view Is concerned.
40 is seldom seen in the daytime. The
4re of the sun does not seem to be suited
his mako up. he prefers to waltz
ound among the sagebrush in the soft
hit of tho moon. During the day he Is
n retiring disposition and reouperates
5 exhausted vitality from the previous
.gfit's dcbauch under the friendly shade
n projecting rock or in the deep seolu-
IN of a clump of quaking asp away from
Q busy haunts Of men and remote from
~ trail or road.
The coyote is not choice as to his diet
.at is, he can accommodate himself to
rcumstances. His favorite dish is live
rabbit, and q moonlight race between
aoyoto and O jack rabbit Is an interest
e affair. 1t is conducted on the strict
of business principles, and no time Is
in arranging preliminaries. There Is
hippodroming or selling out In that
SO. It is u square deal and fair play. II
lack rabbit comes out ahead, it Is q
W lease Of life for him. If the coyote
ores in that inning, it means a Thanks
ing dinner for him. But fond as he is
itck rabbit he will not disdain a lunch
i of dead mule when he Is playing in
ri luck. He sometimes eats prairie
7e, but not often, for prairie dog is not
ia eating even for q coyote. Once in
lilo a hungry coyote will prolong his
-htly revels till a comparatively late
3I,r in tho morning. In that Gas he
steal up to the hole Of a prairie dog
s.aro tho latter Is up and conceal himself
tthiu easy %springing distance, and the
time the prairie dog energies from his
.raso to tako a look at the rising sun the
3voto will pounce upon him and carry
off to a quiet spot somewhere in the
seesscs of tho foothills and make q break
of him.
Erontiersmen often wonder what be
mes of coyotes, for nobody ever saw
aad one. A mountain lion may get ont
s%casionally, but 1t is not q common 90
,lrrAnce. Sometimes a coyote Is aociden
lily started from his rest by q hunter, bu'
he can once get a tree between himsel
ID the hunter, no matter II there is no
lother tree within five miles, the huntel
lill never see the coyote again. To cal
i'm an artful dodger would but feebl!
resent his character in that direction
ID is never to be depended on to follow
ny given line Of conduct. The only wa.
0 arrive ut oven an approximate oonolu
as to what action a coyote will TAX
.ider certain conditions 10 to decide wha
.e is most likely to do and then wait pa
iently for him to do just the opposite
ring.
10 a lover Of natures music a ooyot
concert is a rare treat. It may not be al
55eether the music in itself; the environ
help q good deal. You should II
IN q grassy knoll away up somewher
ear tho headwaters of the Arkansas river
"a the still moonlight on a warm summe
when there is not q sound to brea!
ne silence, and wait for Developments
3uddonly there arises from q foothill owe
cross tho guloh q low, grooming SOUND
Ike tho moan of the wind when the leave
no falling. 1t ceases when an answerin
vail, only q little louder, floats over til
s8ill night air from the opposite directio1
9. third voice breaks in from still anothe
i3irection; another andanother from othe
Joints of the compass, until the shadow {
every sagebrush seems to conceal q stnga1
and q hundred tuneful Threats are joinin
N that wild, weird melody that gradual
r 49, AS 4