Evening star., 1901-02-27
THE VANISHING oAYusE.
The Mustang of the Plains In Dfsap-
pearing Like the Buffalo.
From the Arizona Republican.

From the Arizona Republican.
Twenty years ago, even ten or five
years since, the mustang and the jack rab-
bit were two of the commonest pests in the
west On every plain and mesa. in each
spot where a particle of green feed found
livelihood, beneath the shelter OF dusty
sagebrush or a thorned mesquite, the little
hardy, shaggy cayuse and the long-eareo'
alert and rapid jack rabbit browsed In
peace and quietude A rider across the arid
wilds of the great southwest could count II
he desired, hundreds and thousands OF the
wiry, wild horses, and from every bush
Jack hurried away from the pain OF the
traveller, a gray streak. scurrying over the
sand and gracefully sailing over oDstruci-
ing brush-the kangaroos of America;
Now not mustang can be iound m
DAYS travel or a weeks, and only an in1re-
quent jack breaks in on the monotony OF
desert ride. Ten years ago two hunoreo
thousand mustangs were scattered over lhe
ranges in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
AS the bicycle grew in favor the horse de-
creased in value, and the mustang became
an outcast and an outlaw. He lntruoed on
the cattle ranges and was shot 1or ms
pains, the cowrnen intent on the saving OF
| feed for their stock He ventured amid the
| sheep flocks and the coyotes feasted on ms
carcass. Everywhere he was worthless
| reprobate, an interloper. and valuable on.y
as a target for the revolver OF the VaqueFo
! BY inbreeding the species grew smaller, and
| the mustangs finish was perceivable. The
extremely low price of high-grade eastern
| horses put the cayuse out OF service anu
| his only haven of refuge was among the
| Indians The red men harbored him, FED
| him and tanned him. and today on the reser-
yations can be found the last OF his race,
| disappearing as did the buffalo. put from a
| different cause. His determination was
| rapid and somewhat OF mystery. Many
| stockmen attribute 1t merely to degenera-
| ton but closer observers assert that many
| thousands of the ponies of the desert were
| surreptitiously converted into canned beet,
! and are even now being served over east
| ern tables and army mesSeS as seiect
product of the cattle range. BE that as II
may the mustang is no more, and has been
| replaced by a higher and finer breed of the
| equine species. over plains Where once
| roamed the vast herds of mustangs-whlch,
| by the way, were doubtless the oifsprIng
| of horses brought over soon after the Span
| ish inyasion-now feed as fine horsefiesh as
| can be found anywhere in the world Sew
| eral years ago a great importation or ore
| gon mares, the sturdy stock of the rougn
! northwest was sent south. AT the same
| time number of fine stations from Ken
lucky and Indiana were shipped to the
southwest The outgrowth has been that
| Texas and Arizona are rapidly becoming
| known as important factors in the horse
| trade The offspring has been a well-pro-
| portioned strong and extremely hardy
| horse over the rocky hills and the gray
ely plains the horse of the southwest mas
|
strength and capability for rough work.
| The dry, healthful climate has developed
| his lung power and in the South African
| war English officers found the American
| horse of the southwest the strongest, hard
| lest and fastest in the rough work OF the
| Beer campaign. In such esteem, indeed, Is
| he held that eastern buyers are securing
| the horse ranges and paying the highest
prices for him, while British and German
| army buyers give their preference to him.
| In many localities cattlemen are evolving
| into horsemen, and the steady demand and
| high prices promise well for a business
| that five years ago was undreamed Of
| AS to that other pest, the jack rabbit, his
| extinction is only a matter of no great
| length of time. Civilization is crowdins
| him out, and the aborigine is SlaughterlnS
him, and between two fires he cannot last
| long. The dogs of the settlers are thinning
! him out, and jack hunting is a popular
sport. A fleet pair of greyhounds in half
days hunt have been known to kill half
hundred rabbits, and the Indians slaughter
them at even more rapid rate. Rabbit
| hunts among the redskins are frequent oc-
CurrenceS, and sometimes hundreds of res
ervation reds will participate in the chase
| Such a sight IS one never to be forgotten
, by an easterner. Usually spreading over a
wide territory the Indians gradually close
| into a small circle, and the affrighted
Jacks scurry back and forth they are either
| killed by the blunt arrows from the Indian
bows, or are finally rounded up in com
pact mass, where they are dubbed to death
Sometimes different method is pursued
and with relays of horsemen the rabbits
are run down and killed In either case the
| result is the same. and a great feast is as
suTed for the night Sometimes many hun
| dred rabbits are slaughtered, and between
! this cause of decrease, and the gun of the
white hunter. the jack rabbit, In spite OF
the remar arkabIe fecundity of the species, is
| doomed to eventually become past feature
| of the life of the southwest.