Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-01-02

Meeting dog. in feeding. approaches
near enough. "a few bounds enapies
the coyote to- seize a.
The vegetation over these Town.
IS invariably short the only eNcepu"hs
being n weed here and there permit
led a. grow to maturity on the dirt
cone al the mouth OF hurrow. Ihese
are usually horse nettlcs tSolanum
rostratumD Mexican peoples targen-
mono) or Tuphorhia (Euphorbia mar
ginata.) nil OF which are capable or
nnording shade without onstfucuhk
the Wow. An other weeds and grasses
are cut 90 the ground aud am
Informed that the dogs abandon
town" NJ the weeds become so dense
that they are unable 90 Keep them
down
j. n. Grant tells how coyote cap
turcd a prairie dog. as follows;
THE coyote started &C one end OF
the town and ran at lightning speed In
a straight line until he cut on one from
its burrow. When the prairie dos saw
that II could not get 20 It's hole, Il
stopped and began TO kick until the
coyote caught It and killed it IA very
much the same way that dog kills q
rat"
"EPICUREAN" MENU.
The coyote is known 20 eat. besides
rabbits and prairie dogs, the following
mammals Pocket mice (Perogna-
thus): chspmunks (Eutamissl pocket
gophers CThomomys), vOles (Microtus)i
woodchucks (MarmOta) ground squir-
reis Acknowledgement Callosper-
nophilus and Spermophilus); wood rats
(Neotoma). kangeroo rats (Dipodomys
and PerOdlpus) and rice rats (Oryzo-
mysl. The prey upon these mammals
Is not OF spasmodic occurrence. but
lasts necessarily throughout the year.
The resulting benefit 20 tho farmers
vies with that bestowed by the Swain
son hawk and other rodent-eating birds
ard mammals.
GREAT sCAvENGER.
The coyote is useful. also. as a scav-
enger Deceased cattle that succumb
by the wayside IN the outlying districts.
and dead cattle and horses that are
dragged out Of town, are stripped tothe
bone in a single night thus making
the usual. lingering, deleterous stencil,
impossible I have seen pack OF them
visit a slaughter house regularly each
night to devour every scrap OF refuse
that the magpies were unable TO carry
off In the day When thus proving
and quarreling In the moonlight, they
are fine shots for a rife, and Il is an
interesting Fact that when one Is killed,
the others. II hungry, win return to
eat him. Such an fact shows how
nearly the coyote approaches the hy-
cana. one Of the lowest Of nature $
scavengers
Not always IS the coyote 50 praise
worthy i'm It's habits. for. at times, Il
destroys not only domestic but also
wild animals, which assist man I'm his
warfare against insects and rodent
pests Among them are weasels and
skunks. though few people viii regret
the loss of either beneficial az they
may sometimes be- Skunks kill chick
ems as well as destructive rodents
PATROL FOR LAME DUCKS.
Tho coyotes do. however, destroy
considerable game. Our California
quail nophortyx Californicus) which
run about In the brush on the hillsides.
are killed by the wholesale by them.
while grouse and wild ducks are cap
tured on the nest. both birds and eggs
being gobbled with a relish. Coyotes
make. in fact. a regular patrol along
the shore Of Great salt lake, where
duck shooting is good. there to capture
and eat wounded birds.
In some parts of the west they cap
ture antelope and deer in exactly the
same manner that they chase down
rabbit The great scarcity OF these
animals gives little opportunity for
such chases; and then it Is much easier
to worry "A COW from her calf.
Mr. Ernest Ingersoll, in the Popular
Science Monthly tells how coyote az
tackled a doe antelope and her fawn.