The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17
The Craftiness of Wild Animals
Related General Andrew the Intelligence
# Wild of the Plains

skin mountains once. while riding along
looking at the beautiful scenery I noticed
that down below two coyotes were hunting
ana they started up a big Jack rabbit
With bark and a yelp the chase began.
IL was worth witnessing from the point or
vantage / occupied and 1 watched IL from
start 10 finish. For the first few jumps
both coyotes rushed and yapped at the top
OF their lungs. Then of them fell back
ana lay down In the snow till he blended
with the landscape. The other coyote
forged on fearfully after the jack rabbit,
following closely as possible and keeping
up his short barking yelp. Little by little
the rabbit swerved toward the left until
ne had finally made the circle and come
back near his starting point As he swung
IN near the coyote that had stayed behind
the latter jumped toward him with wild
shrieks OF ferocity and for the next hundred
yards or SO that rabbit broke all records in
his Efforts 10 get away. When the waiting
coyote took up the pusuit the one who
had been chasing the Jack dropped down
and rested. The next time the rabbit made
a wider turn and took a longer time TO get
back but back ne did come at last and
then the programme was repeated all over
again. But the next time the rabbit re-
turned TO the starting point he was too ex-
hausted 10 escape the rush OF the rested
coyote and fell a victim 10 his fOOlishness
in returning To a point he had been twice
warned TO avoid
Now compare such foolishness to the
wisdom of the otter, who seeing the foot
prints of man near his house will hide out
for month before returning TO that place.
own cousin 10 the rabbit in fOolishness
Is the skunk. Confident OF his awful weapon
of defense, a skunk is only equaled in
reckless bravery by the porcupine. and both
are too stupid to take any warning. Around
camps where the cook cuts open canned
food with Ratchet it is not an uncommon
thing to catch skunks near by. The can
top, being cut In quarters by two blows
from the Ratchet. is emptied OF its con-
tents and thrown on the waste pile. IL that
can happened 10 have held salmon IL Is
Irresistible 10 any skunk or coon that passes
10 the leeward of il. little investigation
locates il, a paw is tried and then a nose
The Welding top allows an entrance, but
forbids withdrawal. and. so hooded. the
prowler falls victim TO those IN camp.
The RABBIT, skunk, pOrcupine, badger and
raccoon are all easily trapped and unsus-
plcious OF danger. but when one tries the
fox. wolf and felis families he finds an en-
tirely different proposition. A snare, a tin
can. or even. in the case Of the coon. a
hole bored in a fallen log. with a sharp
wire nail driven slantwise. will suffice TO
entrap the unwary ones. but II takes wood
craft TO entrap the swift. coyote, wolverine.
marten, otter or wildcat
once. while with an old trapper back Of
the Spanish peaks. a pine marten robbed
his traps with startling regularity Every
morning a dead branch a piece Of brush
would be found in the sprung trap and the
finally caught by leaving dead branches
handy for him 10 use and hiding traps near
them. 1t is interesting TO note the actions
of otter when he finds the tracks OF a
man near his home. He stops, his hair
bristles up, and he casts a furtive look
around, as IL he had been caught stealing
chickens. Little by little he edges away
and if he has a wife and babies. sneaks of
TO them and hustles them out and away
from the place. He knows the dangers OF
civilization.
THE wildcat, ounce and mountain lion.
after one experience with a trap, become
very wise and correspondingly hard 20 en-
trap. but a strange thing about most ami
, mails who wise in avoiding steel traps
Is that they seem 10 know that when a
trap is sprung IL is no longer dangerous.
and will go deliberately up and devour the
bait.
so il is with all the animals ! have seen
on the plains Your horse and your dog OF
civilization may be mighty intelligent and
smart, but those animals that are COM
PEELED TO live by their wits are not far be-
! hind, If at ALL