The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-09-05
(Our Dumb Animals.


lection or perish. Nowadays timber
wolves are scarce except in the faI
North where they still thrive and
hunt in packs during cold weather
just as they always have.
In the wilder regions Of the Rocky
Mountain country they are still fairly
numerous and in the interior of the
Olympic Mountains in Washington
they are a menace to the herds OF
Roosevelt elk that live in this region
and nowhere else in the world.
In the old Buffalo days a large
gray wolfe ranged all over the plains.
following the buffalo herds in their
miGrations This wolf was even lar
ger and more powerful than the tim
Der Wolf. | saw one of these that had
been killed in Wyoming many years
ago early in the fall when he was in
prime condition. This specimen meas
ured six feet six inches from tip to
tip and was about average size for a
large male 4 more powerfully
muScled beast | never saw and one
glance ut the skinned body showed
plainly why these wolves had no diff
fiCulty in pulling down old or wound
ed buffalo, to say nothing OF stray
calves that they killed occasionally as
easily as they would kill rabbit
These wolves were called "lobo" by
the early Spanish explorers and this
name soon became "loafer wolf in
the patios Of the plainsman and by
that name he has been known ever
since ror a few of them still exist in
the Badlands.
The CoyOte-pronounced coy-o-tee
lis the little brother of these biz
wolves and is still fairly plentiful
uvH" a wide area west of the Missis-
sippi river. He is more foX-like than
wolt-lilie and is perfectly harmless so
ia" aS man is concerned. though he
is great thief and as sharpwitted IA
any fox when it comes to robbing an
unprotected hen roost.
They do a lot of material damage
killing poultry and occasionally
young pig or sheep for the farmers.
so they are hunted and trapped all
the time everywhere, the net result
being to make them keener witted
Every coyote has voice enough for ten,
and half a dozen of them can make
night hideous with their continuous
serenading and they do it.
All the wolf tribe are keen hunters
and great travellers. ranging for miles
over the country in a single night.
They travel at swinging trot usual
ly. but can run like an automobile for
miles if necessary
\ VOLTS nose is his best friend for
ii catches the faintest scents in the
moving air and thus tells him exactly
what is upwind for miles This makes
it easy for him to keep away from
anything suspicious and it leads him
straight to anything good TO eat thus
he lives rather a better life than
most OF he wilderness folk and per
petuates his race even in the face Of
civilization because he usually has
time to get away from man and so is
rarely seen except by the hunter who
knows his every habit and also his
range.
tie is always suspicious Of the man
smell and takes no chances. for he
has learned TO associate the scent OF
mankind with danger to himself. This
makes him very hard to trap and
even hard to Kill with poison placed
in small Jumps OF meat that he can
swallow at a gulp, and mostly does
not swallow at all because his fear Of
'he Ran-smell is even greater than
pressing hunger nowadays.
Wolves if undisturbed and follow
Ing their natural instiCts. usually
hunt in pairs and they do some fine
teamwork in their hunting, for each
helps the other and backs his play ev-
cry time. a trait that enables two OF
them to catch and pull down a full
grown buck deer without dificuity
aad usually with only short run.
The deer may try to double" or dc
sny OF the tricks OF the wild to ge,
away. but because OF the wolf team
work. he will usually find a pair oi
keen faneed jaws ready to turn him
back no matter which way he swings
from 3 straight line so he usually
heads for the nearest lake or river
and is safe Ii he gets into swimming