The sun., 1904-08-29
The ELUSIVE PRAIRIE DOG.
FOOLS PARK DIRECTOR SMITH
AND SETS KEEPERS GUESSING.

AND SETS KEEPERS GUESSING.
Pride Of tho Zoo Boss In His Cement and
Stone Prison Jared by the Reyela.
tions or . Bit OF Red F1annel--Great
Attraction In q Fresh Peanut Diet.
The prairie dogs in the Central Park
menagerie have been playing a trick on
Director John w. Smith, and Mr.. Smith
only discovered 1t yesterday, when Keeper
Billy Snyder spied young dog outside
OF the village with piece Of red cloth tied
to It's tail. The red cloth explained little
matter that had been puzzling the director.
Mr.. Smith had q new prairie dog village
built last summer on the hillside between
the bear dens and the pheasant yards.
Owing to the propensity Of the dogs for
burrowing all over the neighborhood the
village was constructed with great care.
cement floor was laid several feet under
ground and from the cement stone wall
was run to q foot above the surface On
the wall a wire fence was run up about
five feet. 1t was thought that not even a
mole could escape from such carefully
constructed enclosure. The director then
got lot Of prairie dogs from Kansas and
put them in the village. He took great
pride in having things arranged 30 nicely
and pointed to this as a model village from
which none of the villagers would be able to
burrow. their way out.
Some time ago one OF the keepers reported
that there was hole in the lawn outside
Of the enclosure, which looked as though
it had been made by prairie dog.
watch was kept on the opening, and it was
h1f, h. L. nf a
little animals poke its head out Of the hole,
take survey of the surroundings and dodge
back again.
The director set men to work to dig about
the base of the stone wall to see If there
really could be an opening for the villagers
to escape. They reported that they
couldn't find an opening large enough
to let a mouse out Of the village. and the
director decided that the prairie dog had
made its escape last summer, when work
men were repairing the village, and had
lived under ground since.
The next day another hole outside OF
the enclosure was discovered and another
stray dog was seen. Mr. Smith had traps
set to catch the animals and put them in
the village.
The little prairie dogs are the most tirnid
animals in the Park and it was difficult
to catch them. inaly one was caught
and returned to the village. The next
day three fresh openings on the lawn were
discovered.
There must be q colony. Of prairie, dogs
living underground outside the village.
Keeper Snyder reported to the director.
Il saw four OF them to-day on the hillside,
and how many more are under the ground
don't know
Catch them and put them in the village.
Let none escape" ordered the director.
The keeper baited the traps with cracked
corn, apples and hay, and In the course OF
several days caught six Of the rodents and
put them in the enclosure. A few days
later the keeper saw two more OF the ami
mails on the lawn near the path going up
the hill He noticed that they were not as
timid as those in the village and ran eagerly
over to the path to get peanuts which WIS.,
itors threw to them. Visitors do not throw
peanuts into the village and those outside
liked 80 well that they forgot their natural
timidity In the presence Of humans. The
keeper went to the directors office:
Il guess there are more prairie dogs out,
side the village than there are inside, said
Snyder -I've already caught couple OF
dozen and put 'em In the enclosure. and
there are new ones coming up every day
now"
He was told to go ahead and catch them
all. The next day he went to the office
again with more news.
|, Say. Mr.. Smith. those prairie dogs
have been breeding under ground outside
the village. Several young ones came up
to-day and were just as anxious as the big
Good replied the director. Catch
the young ones, too and put them in the
village There's room for all of them.
The keeper set more traps and In three
days captured seven young ones and put
them in the enclosure. He thought the
dog family outside the enclosure was In
creasing faster than the family inside, as
there were only five young ones there.
At the end OF a week he had caught seven
teen youngsters and several old dogs, and
had put them In the village.
Snyder observed that one OF the young
ones had a bare spot on the top of its head
where the fur had been scraped OF. On
Saturday he caught two more youngsters.
One OF them had bald spot on the top Of
its head.
Il think I've seen you before, said Sny-
der to the prairie dog when the bald spot
caught his attention.
light broke upon him and he tied
piece of red cloth to the animals tail and
put 1t in the enclosure. When he went up
on the hill yesterday, there were several
prairie dogs running about picking up the
peanuts visitors threw to them. One
Young one had the piece Of red cloth tied
on its tail. Snyder went to the directors
Office.
We've been catching our own prairie
dogs all the time, boss. he reported. As
fast as we put them In the village, they
came out again for the peanuts. We've
got only five young instead Of twenty-five
under the wall somewhere
t. Gr,{t xvtl y1n mi