Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-03-08
The Cunning of Criminal Animals

traOrdinary article on the book by
Mr.. +. Seton Thompson, Naturalist
to the government of Manitoba, un-
der the title "Wild Animals Have
Known" which points out the high
degree of cunning which some ami
mails have reached. We cannot do
better than quote the language of
this article.
The author claims for certain an
imals share of Difference paid TO
depraved greatness-towit: the bob
tailed wolf which terrorized the whole
city of Paris for Ten years at the be-
ginning of the fourteenth century;
the SOehnee panther which in less
than two years killed nearly three
hundred human beings; and two
creatures of North American fame, a
lame grizzly bear, which in two years
ruined all the hog raisers and drove
half the farmers out of business In
the Sacramento Valley, and = certain
wolf of New Mexico, which with it's
band was reported to have killed
cow every day for five years. He Wis
tied the rancho which this creature
infested aud witnessed the astonish
ing cunning 1t exhibited. The rancho
was well watered and wooded IN
North New Mexico. giving a good
cover TO the wolves, which. from the
abundance Of food afforded by the
cattle. refused 10 look at any animal
which they had not killed themselves.
aud when Il kill" was poisoned would
not touch it. Their prey Was mainly
vopng COWS and calves. and though
in one night two of the pack killed
two hundred aud fifty sheep, they did
not eat any of the mutton. The band
were led by very lsrge grey wolf.
whose track was well known, being
81 inches across while other wolves
footmaI Ks were only / ! inches. Jhey
always ran from human beings. but
were frequently seen. The big wolf
was so we'll known that an increasing
price was set on his scalp till it
reached 1000 dollars, and the story
of the campaign opens with the at
tempt of professional hunter with a
pack of dogs TO run the wolves and
hold them up" till they could be
shot. The wolves separated, so did
the dogs. several were killed. and the
hunter went back to Texas. Poison
and traps were then tried but the
wolves avoided both, and the big
wolf and his mate brought up litter
of cubs in some rocky precipices with
in thousand yards of one of the
farms, killing cattle every day. The
author does not mention that the
dog wolf regularly feeds the cubs as
soon as they are weaned. and is a
good father of the family, a fact
which makes this iuciuent more than
probable. 1t was at this period that
Mr. Thompson made the scquain
tance of the big wolf, and tried to
kill him by scientific methods. He
melted cheese in the fat of heifer.
in a china dish, cut it into Jumps
with bone knife to avoid the taint
of metal, and put into these strych-
nine and cyanide in odor proof cap
sules. He wore gloves stepped in
cows blood and even avoided breath
ing on the bats. He found that one
of these had been picked up, followed
the track to the next, which was also
gone, AS WAS the third. At the fourth
he found that the wolf had laid all
four together, and scattered dirt over
them! The wolves then took TO STAN
peding and killing the sheep. Half
a dozen goats were usually kept with
each flock as leaders.
Goats are not easily stsmpeded at
night, and the sheep, when wolves are
about, would crowd around the goats
and keep quiet while the shepherd:
drove off the wolves. The object OF
the latter is to stampede the sheer
and pick them up day by day after
wards.
One night they ran over the back,
of the huddled sheep, and killed al
the goats in few minutes. Thi:
may have been accidental bnt it brok,
up the flock, and effected the desired
object. Traps were set to the mum
Der of 100. in different parts of tn,