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diff --git a/42381-0.txt b/42381-0.txt index bdb775d..3c1b0a0 100644 --- a/42381-0.txt +++ b/42381-0.txt @@ -1,36 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Watched by Wild Animals, by Enos A. Mills - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Watched by Wild Animals - -Author: Enos A. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Watched by Wild Animals - -Author: Enos A. Mills - -Release Date: March 21, 2013 [EBook #42381] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - - - BOOKS BY ENOS A. MILLS - ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE - THE GRIZZLY, OUR GREATEST WILD ANIMAL - IN BEAVER WORLD - ROCKY MOUNTAIN WONDERLAND - STORY OF A THOUSAND-YEAR PINE - WILD LIFE ON THE ROCKIES - STORY OF ESTES PARK, GRAND LAKE, AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - STORY OF SCOTCH - SPELL OF THE ROCKIES - WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS - WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - YOUR NATIONAL PARKS - - [Illustration: - _©1905, by John M. Phillips_ - _The Rocky Mountain Goat_] - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - -BY ENOS A. MILLS - - - ILLUSTRATED FROM - PHOTOGRAPHS AND FROM - DRAWINGS BY WILL JAMES - - GARDEN CITY, N.Y., AND TORONTO - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - 1922 - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY - - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION - INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1919, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY - IN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN - - COPYRIGHT, 1920, 1921, BY THE SPRAGUE PUBLISHING COMPANY - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY SUBURBAN PRESS - - COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY FIELD AND STREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY THE FRANK A. MUNSEY COMPANY - - - PRINTED AT GARDEN CITY, N. Y., U. S. A. - - - _First Edition_ - - - TO - ESTHER AND ENDA - - - - -PREFACE - - -In the wilds, moving or standing, I was the observed of all observers. -Although the animals did not know I was coming, generally they were -watching for me and observed me without showing themselves. - -As I sat on a log watching two black bears playing in a woods opening, -a faint crack of a stick caused me to look behind. A flock of mountain -sheep were watching me only a few steps distant. A little farther away -a wildcat sat on a log, also watching me. There probably were other -watchers that I did not see. - -Animals use instinct and reason and also have curiosity--the desire to -know. Many of the more wide-awake species do not run panic-stricken -from the sight or the scent of man. When it is safe they linger to -watch him. They also go forth seeking him. Their keen, automatic, -constant senses detect him afar, and stealthily, sometimes for hours, -they stalk, follow and watch him. - -In the wilderness the enthusiastic, painstaking and skillful observer -will see many wild folks following their daily routine. But, however -fortunate he may be, numerous animals will watch him whose presence he -never suspects. - - * * * * * - -Parts of the chapters in this book have appeared in the _Saturday -Evening Post_, the _American Boy_, _Field and Stream_, _Munsey's_ and -_Countryside_. Acknowledgment is hereby made to the editors of these -magazines for granting permission to reprint this material. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT 1 - II. THE HAYMAKER OF THE HEIGHTS 16 - III. INTRODUCING MR. AND MRS. SKUNK 31 - IV. THE PERSISTENT BEAVER 47 - V. THE OTTER PLAYS ON 60 - VI. THE BIGHORN IN THE SNOW 72 - VII. THE CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES 84 - VIII. THE BLACK BEAR--COMEDIAN 98 - IX. ON WILD LIFE TRAILS 113 - X. REBUILDING A BEAVER COLONY 126 - XI. THE WARY WOLF 141 - XII. WINTER WAYS OF ANIMALS 158 - XIII. PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS 175 - XIV. THE MOUNTAIN LION 189 - XV. FAMINE IN BEAVER-LAND 205 - XVI. DOG-TOWN DIGGINGS 215 - XVII. ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY 229 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT _Frontispiece_ - FACING PAGE - GOAT-LAND 20 - A WILD CAT 36 - BEAR FEET 36 - A BLACK BEAR 37 - ANTELOPE 37 - A BEAVER HOUSE AND WINTER FOOD SUPPLY 68 - A BEAVER HOUSE IN THE FIRST SNOW 68 - COYOTE--CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES 69 - A BEAVER CANAL 84 - A NEW BEAVER DAM 84 - THE MOUNTAIN LION 85 - THE PRAIRIE DOG 116 - THE CONY 116 - LOOKING FOR SMALL FAVOURS 117 - MOUNTAIN LION 132 - BIGHORN MOUNTAIN SHEEP 133 - A WILD LIFE TRAIL CENTRE 180 - MY DEPARTING CALLER 181 - JOHNNY, MY GRIZZLY CUB 196 - ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY 197 - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT - - -As a flock of wild goats wound in and out among the crevasses and -crossed the slender ice bridges of a glacier on Mount Rainier they -appeared for all the world like a party of skillful mountain climbers. - -Not until I had studied them for a few seconds through my field -glasses did I realize that they were goats. There were twenty-seven of -them, nannies, billies, and kids, strung out in a crooked line, single -file. Once safely across this glacier they lingered to look round. The -kids played, the old goats had friendly bouts, and one or two couples -scratched each other. After a delay of more than an hour they set off -round the mountain and I followed. - -While crossing another ice slope they were suddenly subjected to a -severe bombardment. A number of large rock fragments crashed down the -steep slope, bounding, hurtling, and ripping the air with terrific -speed. The goats were directly in the path of the flying stones, which -for a number of seconds bounded over them and struck among them. A -small stone struck an old billy on the shoulder and knocked him -sliding for some distance. When he regained his feet his shoulder -appeared to be broken. Though making every effort to control himself, -he continued to slide and presently tumbled into a crevasse. He caught -with his good fore foot on the ice and clung for a second, made one -desperate attempt to push himself back and almost succeeded, and then -fell into the crevasse and disappeared. - -A few of the flock watched him, but most of them stood with their -heads up the slope facing the wildly bounding stones. None of them -ran; there was no confusion, no panic. It was, perhaps, safer for the -goats to stand still, thus presenting the smallest target for the -flying stones, than to rush forward or to retreat in the midst of the -bombardment, for the rocks were coming down both in front and behind -them. At any rate, the goat is a wise fellow, and this flock probably -had experienced rock fire before. When it was all over the bearded old -leader started forward with the rest again following. - -Until recently most goats lived in localities rarely visited either -by Indians or by white hunters. As a result, when first shot at they -were not excited and were slow to run away. This procrastination of -the goat while under fire, together with his supremely crude outlines -and slow, awkward actions, led most early hunters and trappers to call -him a stupid animal. But he is not at all stupid. Evidence of his -alertness and mental development is shown in his curiosity and in his -ability to readjust himself promptly to new dangers. - -In localities where he was unacquainted with man the goat apparently -made no effort to guard against enemies or to use sentinels. But -promptly after the coming of hunters and long-range rifles he became -extremely wary and sought look-out resting places of safety and had -sentinels on duty. He is thoroughly wide-awake at all times. When -surprised in close quarters he shows no confusion or panic, and -retreats in a masterly manner. If one route of retreat is blocked he -starts for another without losing his head. If finally cornered, he -makes a stand. - -Hunters and dogs cornered an old billy near me in the head of a -glacial cirque, in what is now the Glacier National Park. The goat -made his stand on slide rock at the bottom of a precipitous wall. He -watched for an opportunity to escape, and made one or two himself. -The dogs surged round him. He leaped at one, and with a remarkably -quick move of head struck and impaled him on his sharp horns; with a -twisting upward toss of the head he ripped and flung him to his death. -In rapid succession he killed three dogs. The fourth dog was tossed -entirely over a precipice. At this the other dogs drew off. - -Finding himself free, the goat did a little desperate rock work to -gain a ledge, along which he safely climbed. He stepped accurately, -and though the ledge was narrow and covered with small stones there -was no slipping and only a few stones fell. The goat defied and -defeated this pack of dogs so coolly and easily that I could believe, -as I had been told, that he is more than a match for a black bear. - -I have never heard of a goat showing any symptoms of fright or fear. -Fear with him appears to be a lost trait. It is possible that such a -trait may have been detrimental to life in the daily dangers of icy -summits and through evolution was long ago eliminated. The goat is -decidedly philosophical, makes every movement, meets every emergency -with matter-of-fact composure. In all times of danger, and even when -dying, he retains mastership of his powers. A mother with a kid, -retreating and heroically fighting off dogs while doing so, impressed -me with goat spirit. At last cornered, she kept up the fight, -remaining on her feet after she had been struck by several bullets. - -The goat often does not die nor does he surrender for some time after -receiving a number of fatal wounds, but fights on with telling -effectiveness. I imagine he will absorb as many or more bullets, and -temporarily survive as long, as any animal in existence. He has the -vitality of the grizzly bear. Mountain goats, as the cowboy said of -the western horse thieves, "take a lot of killing." - -This same day I saw a number of goats abreast coming head foremost -down a nearly vertical smooth wall; they had complete composure. They -appeared to be putting on brakes with hoofs and dew claws. Loose -stones which they occasionally started might have been serious or -fatal for one in the lead had they been descending single file. As -soon as they reached a ledge at the bottom they stopped to look round, -and one of them stood up on hind toes to eat moss from an overhanging -rock. Two near-by goats of another flock were limping badly. Possibly -they had been struck by flying stones, or they may have been injured -by a fall. These two accidents appear to be the ones most likely to -befall this or any other mountain climber. - -The white Rocky Mountain goat really is the wild mountain climber. Of -all the big animals or the small ones that I know, none can equal him -in ascending smooth and extremely precipitous rock walls. That -mountain climbing organization of the Pacific Coast which calls itself -"Mazama," meaning mountain goat, has an excellent title and one -peculiarly fitting for mountain climbers on the icy peaks of the -Northwest. - -Like all good mountain climbers the goat is sure-footed and has feet -that are fit. His stubby black hoofs have a dense, rubbery, resilient -broad heel. The outer shell of the hoof is hard, but I think not so -hard as the hoofs of most animals. - -One season in Alaska I came close upon a party of seven mountain goats -in the head of a little cañon. I supposed them cornered and, advancing -slowly so as not to frighten them unduly, I thought to get close. They -at once made off without any excitement. At a moderate pace they -deliberately proceeded to climb what might be called a smooth, -perpendicular wall. It leaned not more than ten or twelve degrees from -the vertical. There were a few tiny root clusters on it and here and -there a narrow ledge. After a short distance the goats turned to the -right, evidently following a cleavage line, and climbed diagonally for -two hundred feet. They went without a slip. Most of the time they were -climbing two abreast; occasionally they were three abreast. Each, -however, kept himself safely away from the others. As they approached -the top they climbed single file, old billy leading. - -This last climb proved to be the most ticklish part of the ascent. The -one leading stood on hind toes with breast pressed close against the -cliff and reached up as far as he could with fore feet. He felt of the -rocks until he found a good foothold and clinging place, then putting -his strength into fore legs literally drew up his body. His hind feet -then secured holds and held all gained. Again and again he stood on -his toes and reached upward, caught a foothold, and pulled himself up. -Just before going over the skyline he reached up with front feet, but -apparently found no secure place. He edged along the wall a foot or -two to the left and tried, but not satisfied with what he found, edged -several feet to the right. Here, squatting slightly, he made a leap -upward, caught with his fore hoofs, drew himself up, and stood on the -skyline. After two or three seconds he moved on, faced about, and -closely watched the others. Each goat in turn, daringly, slowly, and -successfully followed his precipitous course. - -John Burroughs says that a fox is a pretty bit of natural history on -legs. The mountain goat is just the reverse. I have never seen a big -animal which, both in outline and action, is so much the embodiment of -stiffness and clumsiness, just block-headed, lumbering wood sections. -The fox is alert, keen, quick, agile, slender, graceful, and deft, and -looks all these parts. - -The goat is a trifle smaller than the mountain sheep. The weight of a -full-grown male is about two hundred and fifty pounds. He has a heavy -body, high shoulders, and retiring hind quarters; he somewhat -resembles a small buffalo. His odd head is attached to a short neck -and is carried below the line of the shoulders. He has a long face and -an almost grotesque beard often many inches long. The horns are nearly -black, smooth, and slender. They grow from the top of the head, curve -slightly outward and backward for eight or ten inches, and end in a -sharp point. The horns of both sexes are similarly developed and are -used by both with equal skill. The goat's hair, tinged with yellow but -almost white, is of shaggy length. - -In running he is not speedy. His actions are those of an overfat, -aged, and rheumatic dog. He appears on the verge of a collapse. Every -jump is a great effort and lands far short of the spot aimed at. -Nearly all graceful movements were omitted in his training. Nearly all -the actions of this woodeny fellow suggest that a few of his joints -are too loose and that most of the others are too tight. He gets up -and lies down as though not accustomed to working his own levers and -hinges. - -Many times I have seen a goat trying in an absurd, awkward manner, -after lying down, to remove bumps or stones from beneath him. Holding -out one or more legs at a stiff angle, he would claw away with one of -the others at the undesired bump. Sometimes he would dig off a chunk -of sod; other times a stone or two would be dislodged and pushed out. -It seems to be a part of his ways and his habits not to rise to do -this, or even to seek a better place. However, an acquaintance with -his home territory gives one a friendly feeling for him. After seeing -him composedly climbing a pinnacle, apparently accessible only to -birds, one begins to appreciate a remarkable coördination of head and -foot work. - -Although the goat appears clumsy he is the animal least likely to -slip, to stumble, to miss his footing or to fall. While the mountain -sheep perhaps excels him in zigzag drop and skip-stop down precipitous -places, nothing that I have seen equals the wild goat when it comes to -going up slopes smooth and almost vertical. His rock and ice work are -one hundred per cent efficient. - -When it comes to what you may call durability the goat is in the front -ranks. He can climb precipices and pinnacles all day long and in every -kind of weather. When not otherwise engaged he plays both on roomy -levels and unbanistered precipice fronts. He is ever fit, always -prepared. From the view-point of many hunters the grizzly bear, the -mountain sheep, and the mountain goat are almost in a class by -themselves. They exact a high standard of endurance and skill from the -hunter who goes after them. - -These wild white goats are found only in the mountains of northwestern -United States, western Canada, and Alaska where the majority live on -high mountain ranges above the timberline. The goat is a highlander. -Excepting the few along the northwest coast which come down to near -sea level, they live where a parachute would seem an essential part of -their equipment. - -Many high mountains are more storm-swept than the land of the Eskimo. -Storms of severity may rage for days, making food-getting impossible. -But storms are a part of the goat's life; he has their transformed -energy. He also has his full share of sunshine and calm. Though up -where winter wind and storm roar wildest, he is up where the warm -chinook comes again and again and periods of sunshine hold sway. He is -fond of sunshine and spends hours of every fit day lying in sunny, -sheltered places. - -During prolonged storms goats sometimes take refuge in cave-like -places among rock ledges or among the thickly matted and clustered -tree growths at timberline. But most of the time, even during the -colder periods of winter, when the skyline is beaten and dashed with -violent winds and stormed with snowy spray, the goat serenely lives on -the broken heights in the sky. Warmly clad, with heavy fleece-lined -coat of silky wool, and over this a thick, long, and shaggy overcoat -of hair, he appears utterly to ignore the severest cold. - -The goat thus is at home on the exacting mountain horizon of the -world. Glaciers are a part of his wild domain; cloud scenery a part of -his landscape. He lives where romantic streams start on their -adventurous journeys to mysterious and far-off seas; arctic flowers -and old snow fields have place in the heights he ever surveys; he -treads the crest of the continent and climbs where the soaring eagle -rests. The majority of goats are born, live, and die on peak or -plateau above the limits of tree life. - -The goat distinctly shows the response of an animal to its -environment. Of course an animal that can live among cañons, ice, and -crags must be sure-footed, keen-eyed, and eternally wide-awake. He -must watch his step and watch every step. Again and again he travels -along narrow ridges where dogs would slide off or be blown overboard; -he lives in an environment where he is constantly in danger of -stepping on nothing or sliding off the icescape. Certain habits and -characteristics are exacted from the animal which succeeds on the -mountain tops. The goat's rock and ice climbing skill, his rare -endurance, and his almost eternal alertness all indicate that he has -lived in this environment for ages. His deadly horns and his -extraordinary skill in using them show that at times he has to defend -himself against animals as well as compete with the elements. - -Commonly the Rocky Mountain goat lives in small flocks of a dozen or -less, and his home territory does not appear to be a large one. Local -goats of scattered territories make a short, semi-annual migratory -journey and have different summer and winter ranges, but this appears -to be exceptional. They feed upon the alpine plants, dwarfed willows, -and shrubby growths of mountain slopes and summits. They may also eat -grass freely. - -Bighorn sheep also live above the timberline. In some localities they -and the goat are found together. But sheep make occasional lowland -excursions, while goats stay close to the skyline crags and the -eternal snows, descending less frequently below the timberline except -in crossing to an adjoining ridge or peak. Among the other -mountain-top neighbours of the goat are ground squirrels, conies, -weasels, foxes, grizzly bears, lions, ptarmigan, finches, and eagles; -but not all of these would be found together, except in a few -localities. - -The goat, in common with all the big, wide-awake animals that I know -of, has a large bump of curiosity. Things that are unusual absorb his -attention until he can make their acquaintance. A number of times -after goats had retreated from my approach, and a few times before -they had thought to move on, I discovered them watching me, peeping -round the corner of a crag or over a boulder. While thus intent they -did not appear to be animals with a place in natural history. - -In crossing a stretch of icy slope on what is now called Fusillade -Mountain, in Glacier National Park, I sat down on the smooth steep -ice to control my descent and bring more bearing surface as a brake on -the ice. I hitched along. Pausing on a projecting rock to look round, -I discovered two goats watching me. They were within a stone's toss. -Both were old and had long faces and longer whiskers, and both were -sitting dog fashion. They made a droll, curious appearance as they -watched me and my every move with absolute concentration. - -I do not know how long the average goat lives. The few hunters who -have been much in the goat's territory offer only guesses concerning -his age. One told me that he had shot a patriarchal billy that had -outlived all of his teeth and also his digestion. The old fellow had -badly blunted hoofs and was but little more than a shaggy, -skin-covered skeleton. - -Although his home is a healthful one, the conditions are so exacting -and the winter storms sometimes so long, severe, and devitalizing, -that it is probable that the goat lives hardly longer than twelve or -fifteen years. - -The goat is, I think, comparatively free from death by accidents or -disease. Until recently, when man became a menace, he had but few, and -no serious, enemies. Being alert and capable among the crags, and in -defense of himself exceedingly skillful with his deadly sharp horns, -he is rarely attacked by the lion, wolf, or bear. True, the kids are -sometimes captured by eagles. - -There are a number of species of wild goats in the Old World--in -southern Europe, in many places in Asia and in northern Africa. The -white Rocky Mountain goat is the only representative of his species on -our continent. He is related to the chamois. Some scientists say that -this fellow is not a goat at all, but that he is a descendant of the -Asiatic antelope, which came to America about half a million years -ago. This classification, however, is not approved by a number of -scientists. The Rocky Mountain goat, _Oreamnos montanus_, is in no way -related to the American antelope, and it would take a post-mortem -demonstration to show the resemblance to the African species. - -By any other name he would still be unique. Dressed in shaggy, baggy -knickerbockers, he is a living curiosity. I never see one standing -still without thinking of his being made up of odds and ends, of a -caricature making a ludicrous pretense of being alive and looking -solemn. And then I remember that this animal is the mountaineer of -mountaineers. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE HAYMAKER OF THE HEIGHTS - - -The first time I climbed Long's Peak I heard a strange, wild cry or -call repeated at intervals. "Skee-ek," "Ke-ack," came from among the -large rocks along the trail a quarter of a mile below the limits of -tree growth. It might be that of bird or beast. Half squeak, half -whistle, I had not heard its like. Though calling near me, the maker -kept out of sight. - -A hawk flew over with a screech not unlike this mysterious "Skee-ek." -I had about decided that it was dropping these "Ke-acks" when a -rustling and a "Skee-ek" came from the other side of the big rock -close by me. I hurried around to see, but nothing was there. - -This strange voice, invisible and mocking like an echo, called from -time to time all the way to the summit of the peak. And as I stood on -the highest point, alone as I supposed, from somewhere came the cry of -the hidden caller. As I looked, there near me on a big flat rock sat a -cony. He was about six inches long and in appearance much like a -guinea pig; but with regulation rabbit ears he might have passed for a -young rabbit. His big round ears were trimmed short. - -Rarely do I name a wild animal--it does not occur to me to do so. But -as he was the first cony I had seen, and seeing him on top of Long's -Peak, I called him almost unconsciously, "Rocky." - -Rocky raised his nose and head, braced himself as though to jump, and -delivered a shrill "Ke-ack." He waited a few seconds, then another -"Skee-ek." I moved a step toward him and he started off the top. - -That winter I climbed up to look for a number of objects and wondered -concerning the cony. I supposed he spent the summer on the mountain -tops and wintered in the lowlands. But someone told me that he -hibernated. At twelve thousand feet I heard a "Skee-ek" and then -another. An hour later I saw conies sitting, running over the rocks, -and shouting all around me--more like recess time at school than -hibernating sleep. - -One of these conies was calling from a skyline rock thirteen thousand -feet above the sea. I walked toward him, wondering how near he would -let me come. He kept up his "Skee-eking" at intervals, apparently -without noticing me, until within ten or twelve feet. Then he sort of -skated off the rock and disappeared. This was the nearest any cony, -with the exception of Rocky on the top of Long's Peak, had ever let me -come. His manner of getting off the rock, too, instead of starting -away from me in several short runs, made me think it must be Rocky. - -The American cony lives on top of the world--on the crest of the -continent. By him lives also the weasel, the ptarmigan, and the -Bighorn wild sheep; but no other fellow lives higher in the sky than -he; he occupies the conning tower of the continent. - -But what did these "rock-rabbits" eat? They were fat and frolicking -the year around. - -The following September I came near Rocky again. He was standing on -top of a little haystack--his haystack. All alone he was working. This -was his food supply for the coming winter; conies are grass and hay -eaters. A hay harvest enables the cony to live on mountain tops. - -Rocky's nearly complete stack was not knee-high, and was only half a -step long. As I stood looking at him and his tiny stack of hay, he -jumped off and ran across the rocks as fast as his short legs could -speed him. A dozen or so steps away he disappeared behind a boulder, -as though leaving for other scenes. - -But he came running back with something in his mouth--more hay. This -he dropped against the side of the stack and ran off again behind the -boulder. - -I looked behind the boulder. There was a small hay field, a ragged -space covered with grass and wild flowers, surrounded with boulders -and with ice and old snow at one corner. Acres of barren rocks were -all around and Long's Peak rose a rocky crag high above. - -Back from the stack came the cony and leaped into the field, rapidly -bit off a number of grass blades and carrying these in his mouth raced -off for the stack. The third time he cut off three tall, slender plant -stalks and at the top of one a white and blue flower fluttered. With -these stalks crosswise in his teeth, the stalks extending a foot each -side of his cheeks, he galloped off to his stack. - -Many kinds of plants were mixed in this haystack. Grass blades, short, -long, fine, and coarse; large leaves and small; stalks woody and -stalks juicy. Flowers still clung to many of these stalks--yellow -avens, alpine gentians, blue polemonium, and purple primrose. - -The home of Rocky was at approximately 13,000 feet. The cony is found -over a belt that extends from this altitude down to 9,500. In many -regions timberline splits the cony zone. In this zone he finds ample -dwelling places under the surface between the rocks of slides and -moraines. - -Conies appear to live in rock-walled, rock-floored dens. I have not -seen a cony den in earth matter. With few exceptions all dens seen -were among the boulders of moraines or the jumbled rocks of slides. -Both these rock masses are comparatively free of earthy matter. Dens -are, for the most part, ready-made. About all the cony has to do is to -find the den and take possession. - -In the remains of a caved moraine I saw parts of a number of cony dens -exposed. The dens simply were a series of irregularly connected spaces -between the boulders and rock chunks of the moraine. Each cony appears -to have a number of spaces for sleeping, hay-stacking, and possibly -for exercise. One cony had a series of connected rooms, enough almost -for a cliff-dweller city. One of these rooms was filled with hay, and -in three others were thin nests of hay. - -These dens are not free from danger. Occasionally an under-cutting -stream causes a morainal deposit to collapse. Snowslides may cover a -moraine deeply with a deposit of snow and this in melting sends down -streams of water; the roof over cony rooms leaks badly; he vacates. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Frank Palmer_ - _Goat-land_] - -Slide rock--the home of the cony--frequently is his tomb. All cliffs -are slowly falling to pieces, and occasionally a clinging mass -weighing hundreds and possibly thousands of tons lets go and down the -slide rock it tumbles, bounding, crushing, and tearing. The conies -that escape being crushed come out peeved and protesting against -unnecessary disturbances. - -One day while crossing the heights there came a roaring and a crashing -on the side of a peak that rose a thousand feet above the level of the -plateau. A cloud of rock dust rose and filled the air completely for -several minutes. As the echoes died away there were calls and alarmed -cries of conies. Hastening to the bottom of a slope of slide rock I -found scattered fragments of freshly broken rocks. A mass had fallen -near the top of the peak and this had crashed down upon the long slope -of slide rock, tearing and scattering the surface and causing the -entire slope of a thousand feet or more to settle. I could hear a -subdued creaking, groaning, and grinding together, with a slight -tumble of a fragment on surface. - -This slide had been temporarily changed into a rock glacier--a slow, -down-sliding mass of confused broken rocks. Its numerous changing -subterranean cavities were not safe places for conies. - -Numbers of conies were "Skee-eking" and scampering. Weasels were -hurrying away from the danger zone. Possibly a number of each had been -crushed. - -The conies thus driven forth probably found other dens near by, and a -number I am certain found welcome and refuge for the night in the dens -of conies in undisturbed rocks within a stone's throw of the bottom of -the slide. - -The upper limits of the inhabited cony zone present a barren -appearance. Whether slide or moraine, the surface is mostly a jumble -of rocks, time-stained and lifeless. But there are spaces, a few -square feet, along narrow ledges or in little wind-blown or -water-placed piles of soil, which produce dwarfed shrubs, grasses, and -vigorous plants and wild flowers. - -Dried food in the form of hay is what enables the cony to endure the -long winters and to live merrily in the very frontier of warm-blooded -life. In this zone he lives leisurely. - -Rocky placed his haystack between boulders, beneath the edge of the -big flat rock on which he sat for hours daily, except during haymaking -time. As soon as the stack was dry he carried the hay down into his -underground house and stacked it in one or more of the rock-walled -rooms. It appears that all cony stacks are placed by the entrance of -the den, and in as sheltered a spot as possible. Rocky cut and -stacked his hay during September, then early October I saw him -carrying it underground. - -These cony haystacks were of several sizes and many shapes. The -average one was smaller than a bushel basket. I have seen a few that -contained twice or even three times the contents of a bushel. - -There were rounded haystacks, long and narrow ones, and others of -angular shape. But few were of good form, and the average stack had -the appearance of a wind-blown trash pile, or a mere heap of dropped -hay. Invariably the stack was placed between or to the leeward of -rocks; evidently for wind protection. - -One stack in a place was the custom. But a number of times I have seen -two, four, and once five stacks in collection. Near each stack -collection was an equal number of entrances to cony dens. - -But little is known concerning the family life of the cony. Nor do I -know how long the average cony lives. A prospector in the San Juan -Mountains saw a cony frequently through four years. I had glimpses of -Rocky a few times each year for three years. During the second summer -one of his ears was torn and the slit never united. Just how this -happened I do not know. - -All conies that I saw making hay were working alone. But there were -five conies at work in one field. One of these haymakers was lame in -the left hind foot. Each haycutter carried his load off to his stack. -One stack was thirty steps from the field; the one of the lame fellow, -fortunately, was only eight steps. - -The cony is a relative of the rabbit, the squirrel, the beaver, and -the prairie dog. Although he has a home underground, he spends most of -his waking hours outdoors. Above ground on a rock he sits--in the -sunshine, in cloud, and even in the rain. - -Except during harvest, or when seeking a new home, he works but -little. Much of the time he simply sits. On a rock that rises two feet -or more above the surrounding level he sits by the hours, apparently -dreaming. - -By the entrance of Rocky's den lay a large, flat slab of granite, -several feet long. This was raised upon boulders. He stacked his hay -beneath the edge of this outreaching slab and upon the slab he spent -hours each day, except in busy haymaking time. - -With back against his rock, without a move for an hour or longer, he -would sit in one spot near his den. Now and then he sent forth a call -as though asking a question, and then gravely listened to the -responses of far-off conies. Occasionally he appeared to repeat a -call as though relaying a message from his station. Many of these -"Skee-eks" may at times be just common cony talk, while others, given -with different speeds and inflections, sometimes are quick and -peculiarly accented, and probably warn of possible danger or tell of -the approach of something harmless. - -One spring day I came by Rocky's place and he was not in sight. I -waited long, then laid my sweater upon his slab of granite and went on -to the home of another cony. On returning Rocky was home. Like a -little watch dog he sat upon the sweater. - -Another time in June he was out in the hay meadow eating the short -young plants. I stood within ten feet of him and he went on eating as -though he did not know I was there. Occasionally he called "Ke-ack" -that appeared to be relayed to far-off conies. He did not seem to be -watching me but the instant I moved he darted beneath a rock out of -sight. - -Conies are shy wherever I have found them, and I found many in places -possibly not before visited by people. - -Rocky's nearest cony neighbour was more than two hundred feet away -across the boulders. During a winter visit to him I found cony tracks -which indicated that these two conies had exchanged calls. - -The cony appears something of a traveller, something of an explorer. A -number climb to the summit of the nearest peak during the summer and -occasionally one goes far down into the lower lands. - -A few times I have seen them as explorers on top of Long's Peak and -other peaks that rise above 14,000 feet; and occasionally a cony comes -to my cabin and spends a few days looking around, taking refuge, and -spending the nights in the woodpile. My cabin is at 9,000 feet, and -the nearest cony territory is about a mile up the mountainside. - -One snowy day, while out following a number of mountain sheep, I -passed near the home of Rocky and turned aside hoping to see him. -Before reaching his rock I saw a weasel coming toward me with a limp -cony upon his shoulder and clutched by the throat. The weasel saw me -and kept on coming toward me, and would, I believe, have brushed by. -He appeared in a hurry to take his kill somewhere, probably home. - -I threw a large chunk of snow which struck upon a rock by him. He fell -off the rock in scrambling over the snow. But he clung to the cony and -dragged it out of reach beneath a boulder. - -No fur or blood was found on Rocky's rock nor on any of the rocks -surrounding his den. Possibly the cony carried by the weasel was -another cony. Just what may have become of Rocky I cannot be sure. -Possibly he was crushed by the settling of the rock walls of his -house; a fox, eagle, or weasel may have seized him. But at any rate, I -never saw him again that I know of, and that autumn no busy little -haymaker appeared in the meadow among the boulders. - -The weasel is the most persistent and effective enemy of the cony. -Evidently he is dreaded by them. Bears, lions, coyotes, foxes, and -eagles occasionally catch a cony; but the weasel often does. The -weasel is agile, powerful, slender bodied, and can follow a cony into -the smaller hiding places of the den and capture him. During winter he -is the snow-white ermine, and in white easily slips up over the snow -unseen. He can outrun, outdodge a cony, and then, too, he is a trained -killer. From the weasel there is no escape for the cony. - -During winter rambles in cony highlands I occasionally discovered a -stack of hay on the surface. Most stacks are moved into the dens -before winter is on. - -When a stack is left outside it commonly means that either the stack -is exceptionally well sheltered from wind and snow, and in easy and -safe reach of the cony, or else the little owner has lost his -life--an avalanche or other calamity forced him to leave the locality. - -One sunny morning I set off early on snowshoes to climb high and to -search for the scattered cony haystacks among the rocks on the side of -Long's Peak. A haystack sheltered against a cliff was found at -timberline. By it was the fresh track of a bighorn ram. He had eaten a -few bites of the hay. No other part of the stack had been touched. -Around were no cony tracks in the snow. The stack had the appearance -of being incomplete. Had a lynx or other prowler captured the haymaker -in the unsheltered hayfield? Evidently the owner or builder had not -been about for weeks. A slowly forming icicle almost filled the unused -entrance to the cony den. - -Against the bottom of one large slide of rock was a grassy meadow of a -few acres which during summer was covered with a luxuriant growth of -grass and wild flowers. Three big stacks of hay stood at the bottom of -this slide in a stockade of big rock chunks. The hay was completely -sheltered from the wind; from the rich near-by hayfield the stack had -been built large. Close to the stacks three holes descended into cony -dens. - -Had these three near neighbour conies worked together in cutting, -carrying, and piling these three stacks? They were separated by only -a few inches and had been cut from one near-by square rod of meadow. -But it is likely that each cony worked independently. - -Far up the mountainside I found and saw an account of a cony adventure -written in the snow. In crossing a barren snow-covered slide I came -upon cony tracks coming down. I back-tracked to see where they came -from. - -A quarter of a mile back and to one side a snowslide mingled with -gigantic rock fragments had swept down and demolished a part of a -moraine and ruined a cony home. This must have been a week or more -before. The snow along the edge of the disturbed area was tracked and -re-tracked--a confusion of cony footprints. - -But the cony making the tracks which I followed had left the place and -proceeded as though he knew just where he was going. He had not -hesitated, stopped, nor turned to look back. Where was he bound for? I -left the wreckage to follow his tracks. - -Up over a ridge the tracks led, then down a slope to the place where I -had discovered them, then to the left along a terrace a quarter of a -mile farther. Here they disappeared beneath huge rocks. - -In searching for the tracks beyond I came in view of a tiny cony -haystack back in a cave-like place formed among the rocks. By this was -the entrance to a cony den. In the thin layer of snow were numerous -cony tracks. To this entrance I traced the cony. - -As I stooped, examining things beneath, I heard a cony call above. -Edging out of the entrance I saw two conies. They were sitting on the -same rock in the sunshine. One probably was the owner of the little -haystack--the other the cony from the wrecked home. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -INTRODUCING MR. AND MRS. SKUNK - - -A skunk expects the other fellow to do the running. Not having much -practice he does not have any high speed and puts much awkward effort -and action into all speeding. - -One September day a skunk came into the grove where I was watching, -and stopping by an old log did a little digging. While eating grubs he -was disturbed by a falling pine cone. The cone was light, but had a -few spots of soft pitch upon it. It stuck to his tail. Greatly -disturbed, the skunk thrashed and floundered about until he shook the -cone off. - -A busy squirrel was harvesting and paying no attention to where his -cones were falling. Down came another cone. This landed not behind the -skunk but in front. Already troubled, the skunk stuck his tail -straight up and struck an attitude of defense. - -The skunk had been attending to his own affairs. But after being -struck by one cone and threatened with others, I suppose he thought -it time to defend himself. He looked all around, and with stiffly -turned neck was trying to see into the tree-tops when another cone -came pattering down on the other side of him. This frightened him and -at best speed he started in a run out of the grove. Just as he was -well into action another squirrel cut off a cone and this bounded and -struck near the skunk. He passed me doing his best, and I am sure at -record speed for a skunk. - -The skunk is ever prepared. So ready is he that bears, lions, or -wolves rarely attempt to spring a surprise. I ever tried not to -surprise one, but one day a skunk surprised me. - -I was edging carefully along a steep, grassy mountainside that was -slippery with two or three inches of wet snow. But with all my care -both feet suddenly lost traction at once. Out I shot over the slippery -slope. As I went I swerved slightly and grabbed for a small bush. A -second before landing I saw a skunk behind that bush; he at that -instant saw me. The bush came out by the roots and down slid bush, -skunk, and myself. - -I expected every second that the skunk would attend strictly to -business. In the sliding and tumbling I rolled completely over him. -But as there was "nothing doing" he must have been too agitated or too -busy to go into action. - -At just what age the fighting apparatus of a young skunk functions -there is no safe way of judging. If an enemy or an intruder appear -near a young skunk before his defensive machinery has developed the -youngster strikes an impressive attitude, puts up a black-plumed tail, -and runs an effective bluff. - -I came upon a black bear, who had guessed wrong, just a few minutes -after he had charged a pair of young skunks. His tracks showed that he -had paused to look at them and do a little thinking before he charged. -He had advanced, stopped, stood behind a rock pile and debated the -matter. The skunks were young--but just how young? Perhaps he had -tasted delicious young skunk, and possibly he had not yet taken a -skunk seriously. When I came up he was rubbing his face against a log -and had already taken a dive in the brook. - -A fox came into the scene where I was watching an entire skunk family. -In his extravagantly rich robe he was handsome as he stood in the -shadow close to a young skunk. Without seeing the mother, he leaped to -seize the youngster. But he swerved in the air as he met the old -skunk's acid test. Regardless of his thousand-dollar fur, he rolled, -thrashed, and tumbled about in the bushes and in the mud flat by a -brook. - -A little girl came running toward a house with her arms full of -something and calling, "See what cunning kittens I found." She leaped -merrily among the guests on the porch, let go her apron, and out -dropped half-a-dozen young skunks. - -How many times can a skunk repeat? How many acid shots can a skunk -throw at an annoyer or an enemy before he is through? was one of my -youthful interests in natural history. - -Eight times was, so everyone said, the repeating capacity of skunk -fire. - -One morning while out with two other boys and their dogs it fell to my -lot to check up on this. - -We came upon a skunk crossing an open field. There was no cover, and -in a short time each of our three cur dogs had experienced twice and -ceased barking. Each of the boys had been routed. All this time I had -dodged and danced about enjoying these exhibitions and skunk -demonstrations. - -While in action on the dogs and at the boys he had an extraordinary -field of range. From one stand, apparently by moving his body, he -threw a chemical stream horizontal, then nearly vertical, and then -swept the side lines. Far off a tiny solid stream hit in one spot; -close up it was a cloud of spray. - -When the innocent wood pussy paused after eight performances I felt -assured that of course he must be out of eradicator. But he wasn't. - -For years I avoided the skunk, the black and white plume-tailed -aristocrat. This generally was not difficult; he likes privacy and -surrounds himself with an exclusive, discouraging atmosphere. - -After a number of chance trial meetings with skunks I found that they -were interesting and dependable. From them one knows just what to -expect. The skunk attends to his own affairs and discourages -familiarity and injustice. He is independent, allows no one to pat him -on the back, and no pup to chase him. He is no respecter of persons -nor of robes. - -For years, I think, the skunk families near my cabin considered me a -good neighbour. One mated pair lived near me for three years. These -gave me good glimpses of skunk life. Their clothes were ever clean and -bright; often in front of the den I stood near while they polished -their shining black and white fur. A few times I saw the old ones -carry grasshoppers and mice into the den for the waiting little ones. -A few times I saw the entire family start afield--off for a hunt or -for fun. - -The last time I saw this pair before the old spruce blew over and -ruined their den, both mother and father were out playing with the -children. She was shooing and brushing the little skunks with her -tail, and they were trying to grab it. He was on his back in the -grass, feet in the air, with two or three youngsters tossing and -tumbling about on his kicking feet. - -Skunks have a home territory--a locality in which they may spend their -lives. The territory over which skunks hunt or ramble for amusement is -about a thousand feet in diameter. Rarely were tracks five hundred -feet from the dens of the several families near me. But twice a skunk -had gone nearly a mile away; both of these were outings, evidently -pleasure trips and not hunts. - -Once when a Mr. and Mrs. Skunk wandered up the mountainside seeking -adventure and amusement I trailed them--read their record in the snow. -They climbed more than two thousand feet among the crags and explored -more than a mile into the wilderness. They found and ate a part of the -contents of a mouse nest. They killed other mice and left these -uneaten. This outing was a frolic and not a foraging expedition. - -Homeward, Mr. and Mrs. Skunk chose a different route from the one -taken in going up the mountain. They travelled leisurely, going the -longest way, pausing at one place to play and at another to sit and -possibly to doze in the sunshine. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. B. Webster_ - _A Wild Cat_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Frank H. Rose_ - _Bear Feet. A bear footprint is humanlike_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by George F. Diehl_ - _A Black Bear_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _Antelope_] - -At one point they apparently defended themselves. Coyote tracks behind -a log within ten feet of them, their own tracks showing an attitude of -defense, and a wild leap and retreat of the coyote--this was the story -in the snow. - -The majority of my lively skunk experiences were the result of my -trying to get more closely acquainted with him. On a number of -occasions, however, I was an innocent bystander while some other -person had the experience. Then through years of outdoor life I have -known skunks to do numerous things of interest in which skunk -character and not skunk scent was the centre of interest. - -During a night of flooding rain a mother skunk and five tiny skunkies -came into the kitchen of a family with whom I was temporarily staying. -They probably had been drowned out. Mother skunk was killed and the -little ones thrown out the window to die. But father skunk still -lived. The next evening when I went in search of the young ones, as I -stood looking about, father skunk walked into a bunch of grass and -lifted a little skunk out. Taking mouth hold on the back of its neck -he carried it a few feet, laid it down, and then picked up another -little skunk with it. With the two youngsters hanging from this mouth -hold he carried them off into the woods. - -An entire family of skunks out on a frolic came unexpectedly upon me. -They numbered eight. I was sitting on a log against a pine, and -resolved not to move. In front of me the mother stepped upon a thorn, -flinched, and lifted her foot to examine it. All gathered about her. -As they moved this way and that, in the sunshine then in the shadows, -their shiny black and clean white showed as though just scoured and -polished. Surely they were freshly groomed for a party. - -Without noticing me they began playing, jumping, and scuffling about. -Then single file they pursued one another round a tree. In a mass they -suddenly started to rush round the pine against which I sat. I saw -them vanish behind the northwest quarter but when they swept round the -southeast I was not there. - -In Montana I was sitting on top of a low cliff looking down into a -willow thicket below, when a deer shied from the willows and hurried -on. Then a coyote came out mad and sneezing. A squirrel went down to -investigate but quickly climbed a pine sputtering and threatening. The -unusual ever lured me--appealed to my curiosity--and often this -brought adventure plus information. So down into the willows I -started. From the side of the cliff I reached an out-thrust limb of a -pine, swung out, and let go to drop just as the ascending air filled -with skunk publicity. - -It is sometimes difficult to predict correctly what a skunk will do -next. At times my skunk neighbours by my cabin prowled forth at night -and again it was in daytime. Generally they showed no concern with the -movements of birds and animals unless one came close. On other days -they would watch the moves of everything within eye range. Hurrying -down a mountainside I one day struck a large skunk with my heavy shoe -and knocked him senseless. I waited and watched him survive. Seeing me -standing by him he rolled over and played possum. - -The young skunks stay with the parents for about one year, I think. In -the few instances where I had glimpses inside of winter hibernating -dens, the entire family was hibernating together. Apparently the young -winter with the parents the first year and scatter the following -spring. - -Gladly I headed for a prospector's cabin in which I was to spend a few -days and nights. I was scarcely seated by his fireplace when he went -outside to "cut some meat" that hung at the rear of the cabin. - -The first thing I knew a big skunk stood in the doorway. He looked my -way, then started matter-of-fact for me. To heighten interest and to -introduce suspense nothing equals the presence of a skunk. - -With utmost effort I sat tight. It would have taken more effort to try -to turn the skunk or to dodge him. But had I known his next move I -would have moved first. He sprang into my lap. - -It was too late to dodge so I sat still. He stood up and with paws -against me began to look me over. I did not care to lift him off, and -he did not "scat." I stood up so he would slide off. With a forepaw in -my vest pocket he hung on and I did not risk shaking too violently. - -Finally, realizing that he must be a pet, I sat down and began to -stroke him. He took this kindly and by the time the prospector -returned I was at ease. - -Not finding any fresh eggs in a hen's nest, a young skunk started -playing with a lone china egg. He was so interested that I came close -without his noticing me. He rolled the egg over, pawed it about, -tapped it with forepaws, and then smelled it. All the time he was -comically serious in expression. Then he held the china egg in -forepaws above his head; lay down on his back and played with it, -using all four feet; rolled it across his stomach and finally stood -up like a little bear and holding the egg against his stomach with -forepaws looked it over with a puzzled expression. - -The happy adventures of outdoor life never reduce the excess profits -of life insurance companies. They lengthen life. Enjoying the sense of -smell is one of the enjoyments of the open country; the spice of the -pines and perfumes of wild flowers, the chemical pungency of rain, -sun, and soil, the mellow aromas of autumn, and the irrepressible -odour of the skunk. - -The occupants of a city flat had complained for two days of the lack -of heat. The janitor fired strong, but the protests continued. The hot -air system did not work. The main must be blockaded, so the janitor -thrust in the poker and stirred things up. There was a lively -scratching inside. A skunk protested then came scrambling out. -Instantly a skunk protest was registered in every room, and a -protester against skunk air rushed forth from each room. - -Indians say that skunk meat is a delicacy. The frequent attempts of -lion and coyote to seize him suggest that he is a prize. - -An old joke of the prairie is this skunk definition, "A pole cat is an -animal not safe to kill with a pole." But the Indians of the -Northwest say that a skunk may be so killed and that a sharp whack of -a pole across his back paralyzes nerve action--result, no smell. - -In a conversation with a Crow Indian he assured me of his ability to -successfully kill a skunk with a pole, and also that he was planning -to have a fresh one for dinner. I was to eat with him. - -He procured a pole and invited me to go along. I told him of my plan -to go down stream for the night. He would not hear of it. As I made -ready to go his entire family, then a part of the tribe, came to -protest as they were planning tomorrow to show me a bear den and a -number of young beavers. There was no escape. - -Skunk stew was served. I felt more solemn than I appeared, but not -wanting to offend the tribe I tried a mouthful of skunk. But there are -some things that cannot be done. I tried to swallow it but go down it -simply would not. The Indians had been watching me and suddenly burst -out in wild laughter and saved me. - -I wonder if the clean white forked stripe in the jet black of the -skunk's back renders him visible in the night. Does this visibility -prevent other animals from colliding with him, and thus prevent the -consequences of such collision? The skunk prowls both day and night, -and it may be that this distinct black and white coat is a -protection--prevents his being mistaken for some other fellow. - -A skunk is easily trapped. He is a dull-witted fellow, and has little -strategy or suspicion. So well protected is he against attack, and so -readily can he seize upon the food just secured by another, that -rarely does he become excited or move quickly. He never seems to hurry -or worry. - -I do not believe that I ever missed an opportunity to see a skunk -close up. Of course I never aimed to thrust myself upon them. But -repeatedly I was surprised by them and it took days to get over it. - -A brush pile was filled with skunks. When I leaped upon it they rushed -forth on every side, stopped, and waited for me to go away. I was in a -hurry, and as they refused to be driven farther off I made way for -liberty. - -Skunks are not bad people; they simply refuse to be kicked around or -to have salt placed upon their plumy tails. Sooner or later every -animal in a skunk's territory turns his back on the skunk and refuses -to have anything to do with him. But the skunk turns first. - -The skunk to go into action reverses ends and puts up his tail. Every -animal in the woods wonders as he meets a skunk; wonders, "What luck -now?" Head he wins or tails the skunk wins. When a skunk goes into -reverse--thus runs the world away. - -The desert skunks that I saw were mighty hunters. Two were even -willing to pose for a picture by their kills: one had a five-foot -rattlesnake; the other a desert rat. There may be hydrophobia skunks, -but I have not seen them nor their victims wasting their lives on the -desert bare. - -Skunk character and habits evidently changed as the skunk evolved his -defensive odour to a state of effectiveness. He now is slow and dull -witted. Formerly he probably was mentally alert and physically -efficient. His relatives the mink, weasel, and otter are of -extraordinary powers. While all these have an obnoxious odour, the -mink especially, the skunk is the only one who has made it a -far-reaching means of defense. - -Skunks appear to be of Asiatic origin. They may have come into America -across the Siberia-Alaska land bridge a million or so years ago. -Fossil skunks ages old are found in fossil deposits in the Western -states. - -"Hurry," called a trapper with whom I was camping, as he dashed up, -seized his tent-fly, and disappeared behind a clump of trees. As it -was a perfectly clear evening, this grabbing of a tent-fly and -frantically rushing off suggested the possibility of his running -amuck. But I never ask questions too quickly, and this time there was -no opportunity. - -As I rounded the trees there before me were two fighting skunks being -separated by the trapper. Both turned on him for separating them; but -he was into the tent-fly and nearly out of range. Again they were at -grips and were biting, clawing, and rolling about when the trapper -rushed in, caught his shoe beneath them, and with a leg swing threw -them hurtling through the air. They dropped splash into the brook. -They separated and swam out to different sides of the brook. - -The following day a skunk came out of the woods below camp and fed -along the brook in the willows, then out across an opening. I watched -him for an hour or longer. - -At first I thought him a youngster and started to get close to him. -But while still at safe range I looked at him through my field glasses -and remained at a distance. Yet I am satisfied that he was a -youngster, for he allowed a beetle to pinch his nose, ants were -swarming all over him before he ceased digging in an ant hill, and a -mouse he caught bit his foot. - -He dug and ate beetles, ants, grubs from among the grass roots, found -a stale mouse, claimed grubs from alongside a stump, and consumed a -whole cluster of caterpillars. Then he started toddling across the -open. Here he specialized on grasshoppers. Commonly he caught these -with a forepaw. At other times with two forepaws or his teeth. - -He did not appear to suspect any danger and did not pause to look -around. No other skunks came near. He lumbered back toward the willows -and here met the trapper. They stopped and stood facing each other at -man's length. The skunk expected him and everything met to retreat -promptly or side step and appeared to be surprised that this was not -done. - -A minute's waiting and the skunk walked by him at regular speed and -never looked up. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE PERSISTENT BEAVER - - -I saw a forest fire sweeping down upon the Broken Tree Beaver colony, -and I knew that the inhabitants could take refuge in their earthy, -fire-proof houses in the water. Their five houses were scattered in -the pond like little islands or ancient lake dwellings. A vigorous -brook that came down from the snows on Mount Meeker flowed through the -pond. Towering spruce trees encircled its shores. - -The beavers survived the fiery ordeal, but their near-by and -prospective winter food-supply was destroyed. This grove of aspen and -every deciduous tree that might have furnished a bark food-supply was -consumed or charred by the fire. - -Instead of moving, the colony folks spent a number of days clearing -the fire wreckage from their pond. With winter near and streams -perilously low for travelling, it probably was unwise to go elsewhere -and try to build a home and gather a harvest. - -One night, early in October, the colonists gnawed down a number of -aspens that had escaped the fire. These were in a grove several -hundred feet down stream from the pond. A few nights later they -commenced to drag the felled aspens up stream into their pond. This -was difficult work, for midway between the grove and the pond was a -waterfall. The beaver had to drag each aspen out of the water and up a -steep bank and make a portage around the falls. - -The second night of this up-stream transportation a mountain lion had -lain in wait by the falls. Tracks and marks on the muddy slope showed -that he had made an unsuccessful leap for two beavers on the portage. -The following morning an aspen of eighty pounds' weight which two -beavers had evidently been dragging was lying on the slope. The lion -had not only missed, but on the muddy slope he slipped and received a -ducking in the deep water-hole below. - -Transportation up stream was stopped. The remainder of the felled -aspens were piled into a near-by "safety pond." A shallow stream which -beavers use for a thoroughfare commonly has in it a safety pond which -they maintain as a harbour, diving into it in case of attack. Usually -winter food is stored within a few feet of the house, but in this case -it was nearly six hundred feet away. In storing it in the safety pond, -the beavers probably were making the best of a bad situation. - -Two days after the attack from the lion the beavers commenced cutting -trees about fifty yards north of their pond. The beavers took pains to -clear a trail or log road over which to drag their felled trees to the -pond. Two fallen tree trunks were gnawed into sections, and one -section of each rolled out of the way. A two-foot opening was cleared -through a tongue of willows, and the cuttings dragged into the pond -and placed on top of the food-pile. - -One morning a number of abandoned cuttings along this cleared way told -that the harvesters had been put to flight. No work was done during -the three following nights. Tracks in the mud showed that a lion was -prowling about. - -Pioneer dangers and hardships are the lot of beaver colonists. The -history of every old beaver house is full of stirring interest. The -house and the dam must have constant care. Forest fires or other -uncontrollable accidents may force the abandonment of the colony at a -time when the conditions for travelling are deadly, or when travelling -must be done across the country. A score may leave the old home, but -only a few survive the journey to the new home site. - -The Broken Tree colonists continued the harvest by cutting the -scattered aspens along the stream above the pond. A few were cut a -quarter of a mile up stream. Before these could be floated down into -the pond it was necessary to break a jam of limbs and old trees that -had collected against a boulder. The beaver gnawed a hole through the -jam. One day a harvester who ventured far up a shallow brook was -captured by a grizzly bear. During this unfortunate autumn it is -probable that others were lost besides these mentioned. -Harvest-getting ended by the pond and the stream freezing over. It is -probable that the colonists had to live on short rations that winter. - -One winter day a beaver came swimming down into the safety pond. I -watched him through the ice. He dislodged a small piece of aspen from -the pile in the bottom of the pond and with it went swimming up stream -beneath the ice. At the bottom of the icy falls I found a number of -aspen cuttings with the bark eaten off. While examining these, I -discovered a hole or passageway at the bottom of the falls. This -tunnel extended through the earth into the pond above. This -underground portage route enabled the beavers to reach their supplies -down stream. - -The fire had killed a number of tall spruces on the edge of the pond, -and their tall half-burned mats swayed threateningly in the wind. One -night two of the dead spruces were hurled into the pond. The smaller -one had fallen across a housetop, but the house was thick-walled and, -being frozen, had sustained the shock which broke the spruce into -sections. The other fallen tree fell so heavily upon two of the houses -that they were crushed like shells. At least four beavers were killed -and a number injured. - -Spring came early, and the colonists were no doubt glad to welcome it. -The pond, during May and June, was a beautiful place. Grass and wild -flowers brightened the shore, and the tips of the spruces were thick -with dainty bloom. Deer came up from the lowlands and wild sheep came -down from the heights. The woods and willows were filled with happy -mating birds. The ousel built and sang by the falls near which it had -wintered. Wrens, saucy as ever, and quiet bluebirds and numbers of -wise and watchful magpies were about. The Clarke crows maintained -their noisy reputation, and the robins were robins still. - -One May morning I concealed myself behind a log by the pond, within -twenty feet of the largest beaver house. I hoped to see the young -beavers. My crawling behind a log was too much for a robin, and she -raised such an ado concerning a concealed monster that other birds -came to join in the hubbub and to help drive me away. But I did not -move, and after two or three minutes of riot the birds took themselves -off to their respective nesting-sites. - -Presently a brown nose appeared between the house and my hiding place. -As a mother beaver climbed upon one of the spruce logs thrust out of -the water, her reflection in the water mingled with spruces and the -white clouds in the blue field above. She commenced to dress her -fur--to make her toilet. After preliminary scratching and clawing with -a hind foot, she rose and combed with foreclaws; a part of the time -with both forepaws at once. Occasionally she scratched with the double -nail on the second toe of the hind foot. It is only by persistent -bathing, combing, and cleaning that beavers resist the numerous -parasites which thick fur and stuffy, crowded houses encourage. - -A few mornings later the baby beavers appeared. The mother attracted -my attention with some make-believe repairs on the farther end of the -dam, and the five youngsters emerged from the house through the water -and squatted on the side of the house before I saw them. For a minute -all sat motionless. By and by one climbed out on a projecting stick -and tumbled into the water. The others showed no surprise at this -accident. - -The one in the water did not mind but swam outward where he was caught -in the current that started to carry him over the dam. At this stage -his mother appeared. She simply rose beneath him. He accepted the -opportunity and squatted upon her back with that expressionless face -which beavers carry most of the time. There are occasions, however, on -which beavers show expression of fear, surprise, eagerness, and even -intense pleasure. The youngster sat on his mother's back as though -asleep while she swam with him to the house. Here he climbed off in a -matter-of-fact way, as though a ride on a ferry-boat was nothing new -to him. - -A few weeks later the mother robin who had become so wrought up over -my hiding had times of dreadful excitement concerning the safety of -her children. If anything out of the usual occurs, the robin insists -that the worst possible is about to happen. This season the mother -robin had nested upon the top of the beaver house. This was one of the -safest of places, but so many things occurred to frighten her that it -is a wonder she did not die of heart disease. The young robins were -becoming restless at the time the young beavers were active. Every -morning, when on the outside of the beaver house each young beaver -started in turn as though to climb to the top, poor Mother Robin -became almost hysterical. At last, despite all her fears, her entire -brood was brought safely off. - -During the summer, a majority of the Broken Tree beavers abandoned the -colony and moved to other scenes. A number built a half-mile down -stream, while the others, with one exception, travelled to an -abandoned beaver colony on the first stream to the north. Overland -this place was only half a mile from the Broken Tree, but by water -route, down stream to the forks then up the other stream to the -colony, the distance was three miles. This was an excellent place to -live, and with but little repair an old abandoned dam was made better -than a new one. All summer a lone beaver of this colony rambled about. -Once he returned to the Broken Tree colony. Finally, he cast his lot -with the long-established colony several miles down stream. - -Late this summer a huge landslide occurred on the stream above the -Broken Tree pond. The slide material blocked the channel and formed a -large, deep pond. From this dam of débris and the torn slope from -which it slipped came such quantities of sediment that it appeared as -though the pond might be filled. Every remaining colonist worked day -and night to build a dam on the stream just above their pond. They -worked like beavers. This new pond caught and stopped the sediment. It -was apparently built for this purpose. - -The colonists who remained repaired only two of the five houses, and -between these they piled green aspen and willow for winter food. But -before a tree was cut they built a dam to the north of their home. -Water for this was obtained by a ditch or canal dug from the stream at -a point above the sediment-catching pond. When the new pond was full, -a low grassy ridge about twenty feet across separated it from the old -one. A canal about three feet wide and from one to two feet deep was -cut through the ridge, to connect the two ponds. The aspens harvested -were taken from the slope of a moraine beyond the north shore of the -new pond. The canal and the new pond greatly shortened the land -distance over which the trees had to be dragged, and this made -harvesting safer, speedier, and easier. - -Occasionally the beavers did daytime work. While on the lookout one -afternoon an old beaver waddled up the slope and stopped by a large -standing aspen that had been left by the other workers. At the very -bottom this tree was heavily swollen. The old beaver took a bite of -its bark and ate with an expressionless face. Evidently it was good, -for after eating the old fellow scratched a large pile of trash -against the base of the tree, and from this platform gnawed the tree -off above the swollen base. While he was gnawing a splinter of wood -wedged between his upper front teeth. This was picked out by catching -it with the double nails of the second toe on the right hind foot. -This aspen was ten inches in diameter at the point cut off. The -diameter of trees cut is usually from three to six inches. The largest -beaver cutting that I have measured was a cottonwood with a diameter -of forty-two inches. On large, old trees the rough bark is not eaten, -but from the average tree which is felled for food all of the bark and -a small per cent of the wood is eaten. Rarely will a beaver cut dead -wood, and only in emergencies will he cut a pine or a spruce. -Apparently the pitch is distasteful to him. - -One day another beaver cut a number of small aspens and dragged these, -one or two at a time, to the pond. After a dozen or more were -collected, all were pushed off into the water. Against this small raft -the beaver placed his forepaws and swimming pushed it to the food-pile -near the centre of the old pond. - -At the close of harvest the beavers in Broken Tree colony pond -covered their houses above waterline with mud, which they dredged from -the pond around the foundations of their houses. Sometimes this mud -was moved in their forepaws, sometimes by hooking the tail under and -dragging it between their hind legs. Then they dug a channel in the -bottom of the pond, which extended from the houses to the dam. -Parallel with the dam they dug out another channel; the excavated -material was placed on the top of the dam. They also made a shallow -ditch in the bottom of the pond that extended from the house to the -canal that united the two ponds. - -The following summer was a rainy one, and the pond filled with -sediment to the height of the dam. Most of this sediment came from the -landslide débris or its sliding place. The old Broken Tree colony was -abandoned. - -Different from most animals, the beaver has a permanent home. The -beaver has a strong attachment, or love, for his old home, and will go -to endless work and repeatedly risk dangers to avoid moving away. He -will dig canals, build dams, or even drag supplies long distances by -land through difficult and dangerous places that he may live on in the -old place. Here his ancestors may have been born and here he may spend -his lifetime. In most cases, however, a colony is not continuously -occupied this long. A flood, fire, or the complete exhaustion of food -may compel him to move and seek a new home. - -In abandoning the Broken Tree pond, one set of dwellers simply went up -stream and took possession of the pond which the landslide had formed. -Here they gathered supplies and dug a hole or den in the bank but they -built no house. An underground tube or passageway connected this den -with the bottom of the pond. - -The remainder of the colonists started anew about three hundred feet -to the north of the old pond. Here a dam about sixty feet long was -built, mostly of mud and turf excavated from the area to be filled -with water for their pond. They commenced their work by digging a -trench and piling the material excavated on the lower side--the -beginning of the dam. This ditch was then widened and deepened until -the pond was completed. All excavated material was placed upon the -dam. - -Evidently the site for the house, as well as for the pond, was -deliberately selected. The house was built in the pond alongside a -spring which in part supplied the pond with water. The supply of -winter food was stored in the deep hole from which the material for -the house was excavated. The water from the spring checked freezing -near the house and the food-pile, and prevented the ice from -troubling the colonists. Beavers apparently comprehend the advantage -of having a house close to a spring. This spring commonly is between -the main house entrance and the winter food-pile. - -Their pond did not fill with sediment. As the waters came entirely -from springs they were almost free of sediment. After eighteen years -of use there was but a thin covering of sediment on the bottom of the -pond. Neither brook nor stream entered this pond. Was this pond -constructed in this place for the purpose of avoiding sediment? As -beavers occasionally and with much labour build in a place of this -kind, when there are other and easier near-by places in which to -build, it may be that this pond was placed here because it would -escape sediment. This was the founding of the Spruce Tree colony. It -is still inhabited. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE OTTER PLAYS ON - - -A long-bodied, yellow-brown animal walked out of the woods and paused -for a moment by the rapids of a mountain stream. Its body architecture -was that of a dachshund, with the stout neck and small upraised head -of a sea lion. Leaping into the rushing water it shot the rapids in a -spectacular manner. At the bottom of the rapids it climbed out of the -water on the bank opposite me and stopped to watch its mate. This one -stood at the top of the rapids. It also leaped in and joyfully came -down with the torn and speeding water. It joined the other on the -bank. - -Together they climbed to the top of the rapids. Again these daredevils -gave a thrilling exhibition of running the rushing water. They were -American otter, and this was a part of their fun and play. A single -false move and the swift water would have hurled and broken them -against projecting rocks. In the third run one clung to the top of a -boulder that peeped above the mad, swirling water. The other shot -over its back a moment later and endeavoured in passing to kick it -off. - -Though I had frequented the woods for years and had seen numerous -otter slides, this was the beginning of my acquaintance with this -audacious and capable animal whose play habit and individuality so -enliven the wilderness. - -Play probably is the distinguishing trait of this peculiar animal. He -plays regularly--in pairs, in families, or with numbers who appear to -meet for this special purpose. Evidently he plays when this is not -connected with food getting or mating. He plays in Florida, in the -Rocky Mountains, and in Alaska; in every month of the year; in the -sunlight, the moonlight, or darkness. The slippery, ever freshly used -appearance of bank slides indicates constant play. - -The best otter play that I ever watched was staged one still winter -night by a stream in the Medicine Bow Mountains. The snowy slide lay -in the moonlight, with the shadow of a solitary fir tree across it. It -extended about forty feet down a steep slope to the river. The slide -had not been in use for two nights, but coasters began to appear about -nine o'clock. A pair opened the coasting. They climbed up the slope -together and came down singly. No others were as yet in sight. But in -a few minutes fourteen or more were in the play. - -Most of the coasters emerged from an open place in the ice over the -rapids, but others came down the river over the snow. As the otter -population of this region was sparse the attendance probably included -the otter representatives of an extensive area. Tracks in the snow -showed that four--possibly a family--had come from another stream, -travelling over a high intervening ridge four or five miles across. -Many may have come twenty miles or farther. - -The winter had been dry and cold. The few otters recently seen by -daylight were hunting over the snow for grouse and rabbits, far from -the stream. Otter food was scarce. Probably many, possibly all, of -these merrymakers were hungry, but little would you have guessed it -from their play. - -It was a merry-go-round of coasters climbing up single file by the -slide while coaster after coaster shot singly down. Each appeared to -start with a head-foremost vault or dive and to dart downward over the -slides with all legs flattened and pointing backward. Each coaster, as -a rule, shot straight to the bottom, though a few times one went off -at an angle and finished with a roll. A successful slide carried the -coaster far out on the smooth ice and occasionally to the farther bank -of the river. - -After half an hour of coasting all collected at the top of the slide -for wrestling contests. A number dodged about, touching, tagging, -rearing to clinch and then to roll over. Several exhibitions were -occurring at one time. A few times one chased another several yards -from the crowd. Once a number stood up in pairs with forepaws on each -other's shoulders and appeared to be waltzing. Finally there was a -free-for-all mix-up, a grand rush. One appeared to have an object, -perhaps a cone, which all the others were after. Then, as if by common -consent, all plunged down the slide together. At the bottom they -rolled about for a few seconds in merry satisfaction, but only for a -few seconds, for soon several climbed up again and came coasting down -in pairs. Thus for an hour the play in the frosty moonlight went on, -and without cry or uttered sound. They were coasting singly when I -slipped away to my campfire. - -The otter is one of the greatest of travellers. He swims the streams -for miles or makes long journeys into the hills. On land he usually -selects the smoothest, easiest way, but once I saw him descend a rocky -precipice with speed and skill excelled only by the bighorn sheep. He -has a permanent home range and generally this is large. From his den -beneath the roots of a tree, near a stream bank or lake shore, he may -go twenty miles up or down stream; or he may traverse the woods to a -far-off lake or cross the watershed to the next stream, miles away. He -appears to emigrate sometimes--goes to live in other scenes. - -These long journeys for food or adventure, sometimes covering weeks, -must fill the otter's life with colour and excitement. Swimming miles -down a deep watercourse may require only an hour or two. But a journey -up stream often to its very source, through cascades and scant water, -would often force the travellers out of the channel and offer endless -opportunities for slow progress and unexpected happenings. What an -experience for the youngsters! - -They may travel in pairs, in families or in numbers. The dangers are -hardly to be considered. The grizzly bear could kill with a single -bite or stroke of paw; but the agility of the otter would discourage -such an attack. A pack of wolves, could they corner the caravan, would -likely after severe loss feast on the travellers. The only successful -attack that I know of was by a mountain lion on a single otter. Yet so -efficient is this long-bodied, deep-biting fellow that I can imagine -the mountain lion usually avoiding the otter's trail. - -The long land journeys from water to water appear to call for the -greatest resourcefulness and to offer all the events that lie in the -realm of the unexplored. Between near-by streams and lakes there are -regular and well-worn ways. By easy grades these follow mostly open -ways across rough country. It is likely that even the long, -seldom-used, and unmarked ways across miles of watersheds are otter -trails that have been used for ages. - -Fortunate folks, these otters, to have so much time, and such wild, -romantic regions for travel and exploration! After each exciting time -that I have watched them I have searched for hours and days trying to -see another outfit of otter explorers. But only a few brief glimpses -have I had of these wild, picturesque, adventurous bands. - -In all kinds of places, in action for fun or food, frolic or fight, -the otter ever gives a good account of himself. He appears to fear -only man. Though he may be attacked by larger animals this matter is -not heavily on his mind, for when he wants to travel he travels; and -he does this, too, both in water and on land, and by either day or -night. To a remarkable degree he can take care of himself. Though I -have not seen him do so, I can readily believe the stories that -accredit this twenty-pound weasel-like fellow with killing young bears -and deer, and drowning wolves and dogs. - -The otter is a fighter. One day I came upon records in the snow far -from the water that showed he had walked into a wild-cat ambush. The -extensively trampled snow told that the desperate contest had been a -long one. The cat was left dead, and the otter had left two pressed -and bloody spaces in the snow where he had stopped to dress his wounds -on the way to the river. On another occasion the fierceness of the -otter was attested to by two coyotes that nearly ran over me in their -flight after an assault on the rear guard of a band of overland otter -emigrants. - -Probably the only animal that enters a beaver pond that gives the -beaver any concern is the otter. One morning I had glimpses of a -battle in a beaver pond between a large invading otter and numerous -home-defense beavers. Most of the fighting was under water, but the -pond was roiled and agitated over a long stretch, beginning where the -attack commenced and extending to the incoming brook, where the badly -wounded otter made his escape. - -Both beaver and otter can remain under water for minutes, and during -this time put forth their utmost and most effective efforts. Several -times during this struggle the contestants came up where they could -breathe. Twice when the otter appeared he was at it with one large -beaver; another time he was surrounded by several, one or more of -which had their teeth in him. When he broke away he was being -vigorously mauled by a single beaver, which appeared content to let -him go since the otter was bent on escape. It was an achievement for -the otter to have held his own against such odds. The beaver is at -home in the water, and, moreover, has terrible teeth and is a master -in using them. - -Though originally a land animal, the otter is now also master of the -water. He has webbed feet and a long, sea lion-like neck, which give -him the appearance of an animal especially fitted for water travel. He -outswims fish and successfully fights the wolf and the beaver in the -water. He still has, however, extraordinary ability on land, where he -goes long journeys and defends himself against formidable enemies. -There are straggling otters which invade the realm of the squirrel by -climbing trees. - -The otter is a mighty hunter and by stealth and strength kills animals -larger than himself. He is also a most successful fisherman and is -rated A1 in water. Here his keen eyes, his speed and quickness enable -him to outswim and capture the lightning-like trout. Fish is his main -article of diet, but this must be fresh--just caught; he is a fish -hog. He also eats crawfish, eels, mice, rabbits, and birds. However, -he is an epicure and wants only the choicer cuts. He never stores -food or returns to finish a partly eaten kill. The more abundant the -food supply the less of each catch or kill will he eat. - -Food saving is not one of his habits, and conservation has never been -one of his practices. Though he hunts and travels mostly at night and -alone, he is variable in his habits. - -Like all keen-witted animals the otter is ever curious concerning the -new or the unusual. He has a good working combination of the cautious -and the courageous. One day an otter in passing hurriedly rattled -gravel against a discarded sardine can. He gave three or four -frightened leaps, then turned to look back. He wondered what it was. -With circling, cautious advances he slowly approached and touched the -can. It was harmless--and useful. He cuffed it and chased it; he -played with it as a kitten plays with a ball. Presently he was joined -in the play by another. For several minutes they battered it about, -fell upon it, raced for it, and strove to be the first to reach it. - -The otter is distributed over North America, but only in Alaska and -northern Canada does the population appear to have been crowded. In -most areas it might be called sparse. In reduced numbers he still -clings to his original territory. That he has extraordinary ability -to take care of himself is shown in his avoiding extermination, though -he wears a valuable coat of fur. In England he has survived and is -still regularly hunted and trapped. Like the fox he is followed with -horse and hounds. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver House and Winter Food Supply_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver House in the First Snow_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Coyote--Clown of the Prairies_] - -Relentless in chase for food and fierce in defense of self or young, -yet he is affectionate at home and playful with his fellows. If an old -one is trapped or shot the mate seeks the absent one, wandering and -occasionally wailing for days. Perhaps they mate for life. - -The young, one to four at a birth, are born about the first of May. -They are blind for perhaps six weeks. They probably are weaned before -they are four months old, but run with the parents for several months. -Both parents carry food for the young and both appear devoted to them. -As soon as they are allowed to romp or sleep in the sunshine they are -under the ever-watchful eye of one of the parents. Woe to the -accidental intruder who comes too close. A hawk or owl is warned off -with far-reaching snarls and hisses. If high water, landslides, or the -near presence of man threatens the youngsters they are carried one at -a time to a far-off den. - -The hide-and-seek play appears to be the favourite one of the cubs, -kits, or pups, as they are variously called. They may hide behind -mother, behind a log, or beneath the water. - -The otter has a powerful, crushing bite and jaws that hang on like a -vise. A tug-of-war between two youngsters, each with teeth set in the -opposite ends of a stick, probably is a good kind of preparation for -the future. They may singly or sometimes two at a time ride on -mother's back as she swims about low in the water. When they are a -little older mother slips from under them, much to their fright and -excitement. She thus forces them to learn to swim. Though most habits -are likely instinctive they are trained in swimming. - -The otter's two or two-and-a-half foot body is carried on four short -legs which have webbed and clawed feet. One weighs from fifteen to -twenty-five pounds. Clad in a coat of fur and a sheet of fat he enjoys -the icy streams in winter. He also enjoys life in the summer. Though -with habits of his own he has ways of the weasel and of the sea otter. - -He sends forth a variety of sounds and calls. He whistles a signal or -chirps with contentment; he hisses and he bristles up and snarls; he -sniffs and gives forth growls of many kinds. - -His active brain, eternal alertness, keen senses, and agile body gave -him a rare equipment in the struggle for existence. He is in this -struggle commonly a conqueror. "Yes," said a lazy but observing -trapper one evening by my campfire, "the otter has more peculiarities -than any other animal of the wilderness. Concealed under his one skin -are three or four kinds of animals." And this I found him. Doubtless -there are many interesting unrecorded and unseen customs concerning -this inscrutable and half-mysterious animal. - -Possibly the otter heads the list in highly developed play habit. -Sometimes numbers gather in advance to prepare a place on which to -play. The otter slide rivals the beaver dam when wild folks' ways are -discussed. It is interesting that this capable animal with a wide -range of efficient versatility should be the one that appears to give -the most regular attention to play. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BIGHORN IN THE SNOW - - -One winter morning an old mountain sheep came down from the heights, -through the deep snow, and called at my cabin. We had already spent a -few years trying to get acquainted. Most of these slow advances had -been made by myself, but this morning he became a real neighbour, and -when I opened the door the Master of the Crags appeared pleased to see -me. Although many a shy, big fellow among the wild folks had accepted -me as a friend, I had not even hoped to have a close enough meeting -with a wild bighorn ram to make an introduction necessary for good -form. - -I stood for a moment just outside the cabin door. The situation was -embarrassing for us both; our advances were confusing, but I finally -brought about a meeting of actual contact with bighorn. With slowness -of movement I advanced to greet him, talking to him all the while in -low tones. Plainly his experiences assured him that I was not -dangerous, yet at the same time instinct was demanding that he -retreat. For a time I held him through interest and curiosity, but -presently he backed off a few steps. Again I slowly advanced and -steadily assured him in the universal language--tone--that all was -well. Though not alarmed, he moved off at right angles, apparently -with the intention of walking around me. I advanced at an angle to -intercept him. With this move on my part, he stopped to stare for a -moment, then turned and started away. - -I started after him at full speed. He, too, speeded, but with -snowshoes I easily circled him. He quickly saw the folly of trying to -outrun me; and if he did not accept the situation with satisfaction, -as I think he did, he certainly took things philosophically. He -climbed upon a snow-draped boulder and posed as proudly as a Greek -god. Then he stared at me. - -Presently he relaxed and showed a friendly interest. I then advanced -and formally introduced myself, accompanying my movements with rapid -comment and chatter. I asked him if he was glad to be alive, asked his -opinion concerning the weather, the condition of his flock, and -finally, told him that game preserves was one of my hobbies, and in -such refuges I trusted he had a deep interest. All this, while within -a few yards of him and in a most friendly tone; still he remained -almost coldly curious. - -At last I begged the rare privilege of taking his picture, and as he -was not in a place for good picture-taking, I proceeded to drive him -to a spot closer to my cabin. To my astonishment he was willingly -driven! He went along as though he had often been driven and as though -going to a place of which he was fond! - -Among scattered pines and willows by my brook I circled him and took a -number of photographs. At last I walked up to my bighorn friend, -rubbed his back and felt his horns. He was not frightened but appeared -to enjoy these attentions, and to seem proud of my association. But, -my big speechless fellow, I had the most from your call! - -Twice afterward, once in the winter and once mid-summer, he called and -came up to me, and with dignified confidence licked salt from my hand. - -In both the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains there are numerous flocks -of bighorn or wild mountain sheep which have a resident stamping -ground above the timberline, at an altitude of 12,000 feet. They -appear not to migrate, although they go often into the lowlands; in -spring for the earliest green stuff, in summer for salt or for a -change, and during the winter when conditions commend or command such -a move. With the coming of a storm or if there is an attack on them, -they at once climb high among the crags, up close to where the eagles -soar. - -The heights thus is the home of wild sheep. The young are born in bare -places among the crags and the snowfields. All stand the storms up -close to the sky. They are warmly wrapped; their long, coarse outer -coat of hair is almost waterproof and defies the cold. - -One of my trips as Snow Observer carried me across the wild -Continental Divide while the sky was clearing after a heavy snowfall. -In climbing to the summit I passed close to three herds of deer that -were stranded in deep snow. But the high wind had swept the treeless -summit, and in places the snow had been deeply excavated. In other -places it had been thrown into massive drifts. On the summit plateau -at an altitude of 12,000 feet I rounded a crag and came close upon a -flock of mountain sheep in the moorland from which the wind had swept -most of the snow. The sheep were bunched, scattered, and a few were -lying down. Here in the heights the sheep had already forgotten the -storm, while the elk and the deer far down in the wooded slopes were -deeply troubled by the snow. With this open place on the mountain -top, these hardy dwellers of the summit could long be indifferent to -deep snow or to its deliberate melting. - -They bunched in the farthest corner of their wind-cleared place and -eyed me curiously while I went by. I back-tracked their wallowed trail -to the nook in which they had endured the three-day storm. This place -was nearly a mile distant, but over most of the way to the snowless -pasture the sheep had travelled on the very edge of the plateau, from -which wind and gravity had cleared most of the snow. They had stood -through the storm bunched closely against a leeward plateau wall -several yards below the summit. The snow had eddied down and buried -them deeply. It had required a long and severe struggle to get out of -this snow and back through it to the summit, as their footmarks and -body impressions plainly showed. - -This storm was a general one and deeply covered several states. It was -followed by two weeks of cold. For several hundred miles along this -and other ranges the deer and the elk had a starving time, while the -numerous flocks of sheep on summits escaped serious affliction. - -Evidently mountain sheep know their range and understand how to fight -the game of self-preservation in the mountain snows. The fact that -sheep spend their winters on the mountain summits would indicate that -they find a lower death rate and more comfort here than they could -find in the lowlands. - -The morning I started across Sawtooth Pass the snow was deep. A gray -sky and a few lazily falling snowflakes indicated that it might be -deepened. And soon the flakes were falling fast and the wind was -howling. Only between gusts could I see. But on I went, for it was -easier to advance than to retreat. - -I passed over the summit only to find the wind roaring wildly on the -other side. Abandoning the course of the snow-buried trail, I went -with the wind, being extremely careful to keep myself under control -lest the breezes boost me over an unexpected cliff. The temperature -was a trifle below zero, and I watched nose, fingers, and cheeks to -keep them from freezing. - -Two violent gusts drove me to shelter beneath a shelving rock. After -half a minute a long lull came and the air cleared of snow dust. There -within thirty feet of me were a number of mountain sheep. Two were -grazing in a space swept bare by the wind. Another was lying down, not -in shelter, but out in an exposed place. - -Then I caught sight of two lambs and I failed to see what the other -sheep were doing. Those lambs! They were in a place where the wind -hit violently, as the bare space around them showed. They were pushing -each other, butting their heads together, rearing up on their hind -legs. As I watched them another gust came roaring forward; they -stopped for a second and then rushed toward it. I caught my last -glimpse just as it struck them and they both leaped high to meet it. - -I was in the heights when a heavy snow came down and did not drift. It -lay deeply over everything except pinnacles and sharp ridges. I made a -number of snowshoe trips to see how sheep met this condition. During -the storm one flock had stood beneath an overhanging cliff. When the -snowfall ceased the sheep wallowed to the precipitous edge of the -plateau and at the risk of slipping overboard had travelled along an -inch or less wide footing for more than a mile. Where the summit -descended by steep slope they ventured out. Steepness and snow weight -before their arrival, perhaps with the assistance of their tramplings, -had caused the snow at the top to slip. As the slide thus started tore -to the bottom it scraped a wide swath free of snow. In this cleared -strip the sheep were feeding contentedly. - -Snowslides, large and small, often open emergency feeding spaces for -sheep. Long snowshoe excursions on the Continental Divide have often -brought me into the presence of mountain sheep in the snow. They are -brave, self-reliant, capable, and ever alert for every advantageous -opportunity or opening. - -One snowy time I searched the heights for hours without finding any -sheep. But in descending I found a number upon a narrow sunny ledge -that was free from snow; the trampling and the warmth of the sheep -probably had helped clear this ledge. Here they could find scanty -rations for a week or longer. I could not make out whether they had -spent the storm time here or had come to it afterward. - -In the heights are numerous ledges and knife-edge ridges on which but -little snow can lodge. The cracks and niches of these hold withered -grass, alpine plants, and moss, which afford an emergency food supply -that often has saved snow-bound sheep. - -Sheep are cool-headed fellows, as well befits those who are intimately -associated with precipices. But one day, while slowly descending a -steep slope, I unintentionally threw a flock into confusion. Bunched -and interested, they watched me approach within sixty or seventy feet. -I had been close to them before and this time while moving closer I -tried to manipulate my camera. An awkward exhibition of a fall -resulted. The sheep, lost in curiosity, fled without looking where -they leaped. The second bound landed them upon an icy pitch where -everyone lost footing, fell, and slid several yards to the bottom of -the slope. All regained their feet and in regular form ran off at high -speed. - -Accidents do befall them. Occasionally one tumbles to death or is -crushed by falling stone. Sometimes the weaker ones are unable to get -out of deep snow. On rare occasions a mountain lion comes upon them -and slays one or several, while they are almost helpless from weakness -or from crusted snow. A few times I have known of one or more to be -carried down to death by a snowslide. - -While the sheep do not have many neighbours, they do have sunny days. -Often the heights, for long periods, are sunny and snowless. Sometimes -a storm may rage for days down the slopes while the sheep, in or -entirely above the upper surface of the storm cloud, do not receive -any snow. Among their resident neighbours are the cony, the white -weasel, and flocks of rosy finches and white ptarmigan. In these the -sheep show no interest, but they keep on the watch for subtle foxes, -bob-cats, and lions. - -Snowfall, like rainfall, is unevenly distributed. At times a short -distance below the snow-piled heights one or both slopes are snowless; -at other times, the summits are bare while the lowlands are -overburdened with snow. Sheep appear quickly to discover and promptly -to use any advantage afforded by their range. - -One snowy winter an almost famished flock of sheep started for the -lowlands. Two thousand feet lower the earth in places lay brown and -snowless in the sun. Whether this condition led the sheep downward, or -whether the good condition of the lowland was unknown to them and they -came in desperation, I know not. Already weak, they did not get down -to timberline the first day. The night was spent against a cliff in -deep snow. The following morning a dead one was left at the foot of -the cliff and the others struggled on downward, bucking their way -through the deep snow. - -In snow the strongest one commonly leads. Sometimes sheep fight their -way through snow deeper than their backs. The leading one rears on -hind legs, extends front feet, leaps upward and forward, throwing -himself with a lunge upon the snow. At an enormous cost of energy they -slowly advance. - -The flock that fought its way downward from the heights took advantage -of outcropping rocks and, down in the woods, of logs which nearly -lifted them above the snow. Six of the eleven who left the heights at -last reached shallow snow where in a forest glade they remained for -nearly a month. - -One winter five sheep were caught in the lowlands by a deep snow. They -had started homeward with the coming of the storm but were fired on by -hunters and driven back. Becoming snowbound they took refuge in a -springy opening at the bottom of a forested slope. This open spot was -not a stone's throw across. It was overspread by outpouring spring -water which dissolved most of the snow. Here the sheep remained for -several weeks. This place not only afforded a moderate amount of food, -but in it they had enough freedom of movement successfully to resist -an attack of wolves. Apparently wolves do not attack sheep in their -wintry heights. Deer and elk as well as sheep have often made a stand -in a springy place of this kind. - -Sheep under normal conditions are serene and often playful. There -appears to be most play when the flock is united. Commonly they play -by twos, and in this play butt, push, feint, jump, and spar lightly -with horns, often rising to the vertical on hind legs. If a bout -becomes particularly lively the others pause to look on. They give -attention while something unusual is doing. One day I saw a flock -deliberately cross a snowdrift when they could easily have gone -around it. But the sheep were vigorous from good feed and a mild -winter and this snowdrift was across the game trail on which they were -slowly travelling. - -No wild animal grass eater excels the bighorn sheep in climbing skill, -alertness, endurance, and playfulness. They thrive on the winds and -rations of the heights. Generally the sheep carry more fat when spring -comes than the deer that winter down in the shelter of the woods or in -the lowlands. Any healthy animal, human or wild, who understands the -woodcraft of winter lives happily when drifts the snow. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES - - -Nine healthy coyote puppies were playing in the sunshine with all -their might. After days of searching I had at last discovered their -den. The puppies had not noticed me and I enjoyed watching their -training for the game of life. They wrestled, played at fighting, -rolled over and over, bit at one another's feet and tails, and -occasionally all mixed in one merry heap. - -Their mother came along the hillside above the den. She walked back -and forth on the skyline where I could not miss seeing her. Then she -came nearer and passed within thirty or forty feet of me. I kept my -eyes upon the puppies and pretended not to see their mother. She -turned and passed still closer to me. This time she was limping badly -on one forefoot and holding up one hind foot. She was making every -effort to have me follow her--to lure me away from her home and her -puppies. - -A moving object down the slope caught the attention of the puppies. As -soon as they made out what this was they scampered racing away. -Going only a short distance, they sat down, as though at a dead line. -Evidently there is a small zone of safety surrounding the den beyond -which the puppies are not allowed to go. At this moment Mr. Coyote -appeared, from down the slope, with a jack rabbit in his jaws. He was -coming quickly along and had not suspected my presence. How eagerly -the puppies watched him! As he came up they commenced snapping and -tearing at the rabbit he carried. Mrs. Coyote hastily joined them, and -all scurried into the den. The following morning the den was deserted. -It is common for coyotes to move their puppies promptly to another den -when they think they are discovered. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver Canal_] - - [Illustration: _A New Beaver Dam_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _The Mountain Lion_] - -Another mother coyote decoyed me into watching a vacant den. Her -children were in another den a quarter of a mile away. In carrying -food to them she went out of her way to enter the vacant den, then -left it by a different entrance and proceeded by a circuitous route to -the waiting puppies. Both of the old coyotes hunt and carry food to -the den for their puppies. - -Repeatedly I have seen a mother or a father coyote lure a hunter or -trapper away from the den or spot where the young were hidden. I have -also seen one or more coyotes stay near a crippled coyote as though -taking care of him, and endeavour to lure away any hunter who -approached. - -Someone has said that a beautiful coyote hide wraps up more deviltry -than any other hide of equal dimensions stretched over an animated -form. His successful cunning and his relentless ways of getting a -living cause him to be cursed by those whom he plunders. But he is -always interesting and appears to enjoy life even in the midst of lean -times. - -The coyote is the Clown of the Prairie. He is wise, cynical, and a -good actor. He has a liking for action and adventure. He really is a -happy fellow, something of a philosopher and full of wit. - -I have seen a coyote look at a deserted and tumble-down building and -strike an attitude of mockery at the failures of man. Sometimes he -catches a chicken while the family is away; and, carrying this to the -back porch to feast, leaves the unconsumed feathers there. Two nights -a coyote raided a settler's hen roost and each time left the feathers -near my camp. I was ordered out of the country! - -Once I tried for more than half a day to get a picture of a coyote. He -appeared to know that I was unarmed and harmless, and allowed me to -approach moderately close, but not quite close enough. At last he -laid down by a cliff and pretended to go to sleep. When I came almost -near enough to photograph him he rose, looked at me, yawned as though -bored, and ran away. A common prank of his is to lure a dog from a -camp or ranch to a point where the coyote is safe, then to pounce upon -the dog and chase him back in confusion. - -As I sat one day on a hillside, watching the antics of calves among a -herd of cattle, two coyotes trotted into the scene. They caused no -alarm and did not receive even a second look from the cattle. Slowly -and knowingly the coyotes walked here and there among them, as though -selecting a victim or looking for one whose days were numbered. Near -me was a crippled old cow that plainly did not have long to live. The -instant the coyotes came within view of her one of them sat down, -plainly satisfied with the outlook; and the other laid down with the -easy, contemptuous air of a cynic before a waiting feast. To add to -the effectiveness of the scene a number of magpies, which usually are -watchful enough to arrive first at any promised feast, joined them. - -On an Arizona desert I saw two coyotes walking along apparently -without any heads. What scheme are they up to now? was my first -thought as I stood looking at this magic scene. But off on the desert -was a suspended lake mirage. Two coyotes appeared just beneath the -near edge, their heads completely lost in the mirage, their headless -bodies walking--a most startling exhibit, even for a desert. - -The coyote has a peculiar mental make-up. He has all the keen -alertness of the wolf and the audacious cunning of the fox. His -fox-like face at times takes on a serio-comic expression. At other -times he has a most expectant look as he sits and watches, or listens, -with head tilted on one side and sharp ears pointing slightly forward. -He has actions, characteristics, and attitudes that make him excel -even the fox for the purpose of fable making. - -There are numerous Indian myths concerning the coyote; in fact, he -takes the place the fox has in primitive European folklore. Numerous -tribes pay the coyote tribute in daily food. Their belief accredits -him with the audacity and the cunning to seize fire from forbidden -sources and deliver this enduring comfort to the fireless red men. -Among most Indian tribes he is regarded with favour. Many Indian dogs -are descendants of the coyote. - -The coyote is a small, fleet-footed, keen-witted animal, tawny or -yellowish brown in colour. He is, of course, a wolf; but he is only a -little more than half the weight of his large relative, the gray -wolf. Originally he was scattered over most of North America. Though -scientifically classified into a number of species and sub-species, -they are very much alike in colour and habit. - -The home range of the coyote is rarely ten miles across, except on the -margin of mountains where sometimes it is twice this. In many -localities a pair will have three or four square miles to themselves; -in other localities there are a few pairs to the square mile. - -Coyotes probably mate for life. A pair commonly hunt together, though -each often hunts alone. They are said to live from eight to fifteen -years. I kept track of one for eight years, who appeared mature when I -first met him and showed no signs of decay when I saw him last. - -The coyote usually lies up in a den when not hunting; but at times he -simply hides in underbrush or in ravines. A den I measured lay nearly -four feet below the surface and had a length of fourteen feet. It was -expanded into a room-like place near the farther end and there were a -number of small pockets extending from it. The den may be made by the -coyotes themselves or it may be the den of a badger which they have -re-shaped. Occasionally they take advantage of cave-like places -between large stones. The den commonly is in an out-of-the-way place -and the entrance to it is concealed by stones or bushes. - -Coyotes often have three or more dens. A change is probably helpful in -keeping down parasites, and I am certain that their use of more than -one den confuses and defeats their pursuers. Many a man has dug into a -coyote's den and found it empty when only the day before he had seen -it used by the entire family. - -The young are born in April or May, in litters of from five to ten. -They grow rapidly and in a few weeks show all the cunning ways and -playfulness of puppies. When safe they spend hours outside the den, -wrestling, digging, or sleeping in the sun. In two dens I examined -each youngster had a separate compartment or pocket for himself; and, -judging from claw marks, probably he had dug this himself. In July the -youngsters are taken out into the world, where they learn the tactics -of wresting a living from the fields. - -The coyote is a swift runner and easily outstrips the gray wolf. The -average horse cannot catch him and probably the greyhound is the only -dog that can overtake him. Swift as he is, however, the jack rabbit -and the antelope leave him behind. - -Coyotes often hunt in pairs and occasionally in packs. When hunting -in pairs one will leisurely hunt, or pretend to be hunting, in plain -view of a prairie dog or other animal. While this active coyote holds -the attention of the victim the other slips close and rushes or -springs upon it. They often save their legs and their lives with their -brains; they succeed by stealth instead of sheer physical endurance. - -Antelopes, rabbits, and other animals are frequently captured by -several coyotes taking part in the chase. Commonly they scatter in a -rude circle and run in relays. Those near the place toward which the -animal is running lie in concealment close to its probable course. As -the victim weakens all unite to pull it down and are present at the -feast. - -They are not always successful, however. I have seen jack rabbits -break the circle and escape across the prairie. Two pursuing coyotes -quickly gave up the race with an antelope when it turned at a sharp -angle and struck off at increased speed. A deer, which several coyotes -had frightened into running, suddenly stopped in a little opening -surrounded by bushes. Here he put up such an effective and successful -fight that two of the attackers received broken ribs and the others -drew off. - -An antelope on the Wyoming plains started several times for water, -but, without reaching it, turned and hurried back to the starting -place. Going closer I discovered that she had a young kid with her. -This was being watched by a near-by coyote. A part of the time he laid -near. If the antelope drove him off he at once returned and paced back -and forth dangerously near the kid. Some animal had already secured -one of her young, and I fear that the coyote wore the mother out and -feasted on the other. - -The gray wolf often kills wantonly--kills for fun, when food is not -needed. Rarely, I think, does the coyote do this. In times of plenty -he becomes an actor and gives plays and concerts; but if fate provides -an excess of food he is likely to cache or store it. A miner lost half -a sheep from his pack horse. Half an hour later I went along his trail -and discovered a coyote burying a part of this, covering it by means -of his nose, like a dog. He had eaten to roundness and had nothing in -his outlines to suggest the lean wolf. - -He eats about everything that has any food value--meat, fruit, -grasses, and vegetables in all stages of greenness and ripeness. He -has the bad habit of killing young big game; capturing birds and -robbing their nests; raiding barnyards for chickens, ducks, and -turkeys; and sometimes he feeds on sheep and occasionally kills a -calf. Often he catches a fish or frog, eats roots, tender shoots, or -has a feast of fruit or melons. - -The coyote is wise enough to keep near the trail and camp of hunters -and trappers. Here he gets many a rich meal of camp scraps and -cast-off parts of killed animals. I have known him to travel with a -mountain lion and to follow the trail of a bear. In certain localities -the chipmunks retire in autumn to their holes, fat and drowsy, and -temporarily fall into a heavy sleep. Before the earth is frozen they -are energetically dug out by the coyotes. But this is only one of the -many bits of natural history known and made use of by the coyote. - -But the coyote's food habits are not all bad. At some time in every -locality, and in a few localities at all times, he has a high rank in -economic biology, and may be said to coöperate silently with the -settlers in eradicating damaging pests. He is especially useful in -fruit-growing sections. He is at the head of the list of -mouse-catching animals. He is a successful ratter, and is the terror -of prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and rabbits. - -If scavengers are helpful, then he is a useful member of society. He -has a liking for carcasses, no matter how smelly or ancient. I once -saw a coyote feeding on a dead mule along with ravens and buzzards. He -did appear to be a trifle ashamed of his companions; for, though he -seeks adventure and is almost a soldier of fortune, he has a pride -that does not sanction indiscriminate associates. - -He is commonly considered a coward; but this does not appear to be a -proper classification of his characteristics. Being shy and cautious -is the very price of his existence. He displays both courage and -fighting blood whenever there is anything to be gained by such -display. Rarely is it cowardly to avoid being a target for the deadly -long-range rifle or to slip away from an attack by dogs at -overwhelming odds. Recklessness and rashness do not constitute -bravery. - -The coyote constantly uses his wits. In a Utah desert I often saw him -watching the flights of buzzards. If the buzzards came down, the -coyote made haste to be among those at the feast. In returning from a -far-off expedition on plain or desert he seems to be guided by -landmarks; appears to recognize striking objects seen before and to -use them as guide posts. - -That he is mentally above the average animal is shown in the quickness -with which he adjusts himself to changes or to the demands of his -environment. If constantly pursued with gun, dogs, and traps he -becomes most wary; but if no one in the neighbourhood attempts to swat -him he shows himself at close range, and is often bold. - -Near Canon City, Colorado, an apple grower showed me a three-legged -coyote that used his orchard. The coyote had been about for four or -five years and was quite tame. He was fed on scraps and was wise -enough to stay in the small zone of safety round the house. - -But the coyote never forgets. His keen senses and keen wits appear to -be always awake, even though surroundings have long been friendly. For -a time I stayed at an isolated cattle ranch upon which hunting was -forbidden. But one day a man carrying a gun strolled into the field. -While he was still a quarter of a mile away the coyotes became -watchful and alarmed. To me the appearance of the man and gun differed -little from that of the men carrying fishing poles; but the wise -coyotes either scented or could distinguish the gun. Presently all -hurried away. While the gunner remained, at least one of the coyotes -sat where he could overlook the field. But all came strolling back -within a few minutes after the gunner left. - -In western Wyoming, not far from a ranch house, were three small -hills. On these the wolves and coyotes frequently gathered and howled. -One day a number of traps were set on each of these hills. That -evening the wolves and coyotes had their usual serenade; but they -gathered in the depressions between the hills. Quickly they adjusted -themselves to the new conditions, with "Safety first!" always the -determining factor. - -The coyote has a remarkable voice. It gives him a picturesque part. -Usually his spoken efforts are in the early evening; more rarely in -early morning. Often a number, in a pack or widely separated, will -engage in a concert. It is a concert of clowns; in it are varying and -changing voices; all the breaks in the evening song are filled with -startling ventriloquistic effects. The voice may be thrown in many -directions and over varying distances at once, so that the sounds are -multiplied, and the efforts of two or three coyotes seem like those of -a numerous and scattered pack. - -However, the coyote uses his voice for other things than pleasure. He -has a dialect with which he signals his fellows; he warns them of -dangers and tells of opportunities; he asks for information and calls -for assistance. He is constantly saving himself from danger or -securing his needed food by coöperating with his fellows. These united -efforts are largely possible through his ability to express the -situation with voice and tongue. - -Through repetition a coyote's signals are ofttimes relayed for miles. -A leader mounts a lonely butte and proclaims his orders over the -silent prairie. This proclamation is answered by repeating coyotes a -mile or more away. Farther away, at all points of the compass, it is -repeated by others. And so, within a fraction of a minute, most of the -coyotes within a radius of miles have the latest news or the latest -orders. - -Sometimes the stratum of air above the prairie is a mellow -sounding-board; it clearly and unresistingly transmits these wild -wireless calls far across the ravines and hills of the prairie. The -clear notes of a single coyote often ring distinctly across a radius -of two or three miles. When groups congregate in valley concerts all -the air between the near and the far-off hills vibrates with the wild, -varying melody. This may reach a climax in a roar like the wind, then -break up into a many-voiced yelping. - -I love to hear the shoutings and the far-off cries of the coyote. -These elemental notes are those of pure gladness and wildness. To me -they are not melancholy. Their rollicking concerts remind me of the -merry efforts of live boys. - -The calls of the coyote have a distinct place in the strangeness and -wildness of the Great Plains. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE BLACK BEAR--COMEDIAN - - -A black bear came into a United States Survey camp one Sunday -afternoon while all the men were lounging about, and walked into the -cook's tent. The cook was averse to bears; he tried to go through the -rear of the tent at a place where there was no door. The tent went -down on him and the bear. The bear, confused and not in the habit of -wearing a tent, made a lively show of it--a sea in a storm--as he -struggled to get out. - -All were gathered round and watched the bear emerge from beneath the -tent and climb a tree. Out on the first large limb he walked. He -looked down on us somewhat puzzled and inclined to be playful. - -This was at the Thumb in the Yellowstone National Park, in the summer -of 1891. I was the boy of the party. For some years I had been -interested in wild life, and while in the Park I used every -opportunity to study tree and animal life. I frequently climbed trees -to examine the fruit they bore, to learn about the insects that were -preying on them or the birds that were eating the insects. I was -naturally nicknamed the Tree Climber. There was now a unanimous call -for the Tree Climber to go up and get the bear down! - -Of course no one wants to climb a tree when it is full of bears. But -at last I was persuaded to climb a tree near the one in which the bear -reposed and try to rout him out. He had climbed up rapidly head -foremost. He went down easily tail foremost. The instant he touched -the earth there was such a yelling and slapping of coats that for a -time the bear was confused as to whether he should fight or frolic. He -decided to climb again. But in his confusion he took the wrong tree. -He climbed up beneath me! - -From long experience since that time I now realize that the bear -simply wanted to romp, for he was scarcely more than one year of age. -The black bear is neither ferocious nor dangerous. The most fitting -name I have ever heard given him is The Happy Hooligan of the Woods. -He is happy-go-lucky, and taking thought of the morrow is not one of -his troubles. - -The most surprising pranks I ever saw were those of a pet cub. During -one of my rambles in the mountains of Colorado I came to the cabin of -an eccentric prospector who always had some kind of a pet. On this -occasion it was a black bear cub. The cub was so attached to the place -that unchained he stayed or played near by all day while his master -was away at work. - -With moccasined feet I approached the cabin quietly, and the first -knowledge I had of the cub was his spying my approach from behind a -tree in the rear of the cabin. He was standing erect, with his body -concealed behind the tree; only a small bit of his head and an eye -were visible. As I approached him he moved round, keeping the tree -between us. - -Finally he climbed up several feet; and as I edged round he sidled -about like a squirrel, and though always peeking at me, kept his body -well concealed on the opposite side of the tree. On my going to the -front of the cabin he descended; and when I glanced round the front -corner to see him, he was peeking round the rear corner at me. - -As I had kept up a lively, pleasant conversation all this time, he -evidently concluded that I was friendly, and, like a boy, proceeded to -show off. Near by stood a barrel upright, with the top missing. Into -this the bear leaped and then deliberately overturned it on the steep -slope. Away down hill rolled the barrel at a lively pace with the bear -inside. Thrusting out his forepaws he guided the course of the barrel -and controlled its speed. - -Once while two black bear cubs were fleeing before a forest fire they -paused and true to their nature had a merry romp. Even the threatening -flames could not make them solemn. Each tried to prevent the other -from climbing a tree that stood alone in the open; round it they -clinched, cuffed, and rolled so merrily that the near-by wild folk -were attracted and momentarily forgot their fears. - -The black bear has more human-like traits than any other animal I -know. He is a boy in disguise, will not work long at anything unless -at something to produce mischief. Occasionally he finds things dull, -like a shut-in boy or a boy with a task to perform, and simply does -not know what to do with himself--he wants company. - -He is shy and bashful as a child. He plans no harm. He does not eat -bad children; nor does he desire to do so. Nothing would give him -greater delight than to romp with rollicking, irrepressible children -whose parents have blackened his character. - -In other words, the black bear is just the opposite in character of -what he has long been and still is almost universally thought to be. A -million written and spoken stories have it that he is ferocious--a -wanton, cruel killer. He fights or works only when compelled to do so. -He is not ferocious. He avoids man as though he were a pestilence. - -One day in climbing out on a cliff I accidentally dislodged a huge -rock. This as it fell set a still larger rock going. The second rock -in its hurtling plunge struck a tree in which a young black bear was -sleeping. As the tree came to the earth the bear made haste to scamper -up the nearest tree. But unfortunately the one up which he raced had -lost its top by the same flying ton of stone, and he was able to get -only a few yards above the earth. - -To get him to come down I procured a long pole and prodded him easily. -At first, on the defensive, he slapped and knocked the pole to right -and left. He was plainly frightened and being cornered was determined -to fight. I proceeded gently and presently he calmed down and began -playing with the pole. He played just as merrily as ever a kitten -played with a moving, tickling twig or string. - -The black bear is the most plausible bluffer I have ever seen. His -hair bristling, upper lip stuck forward, and onrushing with a rapid -volley of champing K-woof-f-f's, he appears terrible. He pulls himself -out of many a predicament and obtains many an unearned morsel in this -way. Most of his bluffs are for amusement; he will go far out of his -way for the purpose of running one. In any case, if the bluff is -ineffective--and most often it is--he moves on with unbelievable -indifference at the failure, and in a fraction of a second is so -interested in something else, or so successfully pretends to be, that -the bluff might have been yesterday judging from his appearance. -Often, like a boy, he has a merry or a terrible make-believe time, in -which the bluff is exhibited. - -Bears are fond of swimming, and during the summer often go for a -plunge in a stream or lake. This is followed by a sunning on the earth -or an airing in a treetop. - -The grizzly does not climb trees, but the black bear climbs almost as -readily as a cat. With its cat-like forepaws it can simply race up a -tree trunk. He climbs a small pole or a large tree with equal ease. - -The black bear might be called a perching animal. Much of his time, -both asleep and awake, is spent in treetops. Often he has a special -tree, and he may use this tree for months or even years. When closely -pursued by dogs, or the near-by appearance of a grizzly, or if -anything startling happen, instantly a black bear climbs a tree. The -black bear is afraid of the grizzly. - -In case of danger or when leaving on a long foraging expedition the -mother usually sends her cubs up a tree. They faithfully remain in the -tree until she returns. One day in Wild Basin, Colorado, while -watching a mother and two cubs feeding on travelling ants, the mother -quietly raised her head then pointed her nose at the cubs. Though -there was not a sound the cubs instantly, though unwillingly, started -toward the foot of a tree. The mother raised her forepaws as though to -go toward them. At that the cubs made haste toward the tree. At the -bottom they hesitated; then the mother with rush and champing Whoof! -simply sent them flying up the trunk. Then she walked away into the -woods. - -In the treetop the cubs remained for hours, not once descending to the -earth. It was a lodgepole pine sixty or seventy feet away and several -feet lower than my stand, on the side of a moraine. For some minutes -the cubs stood on the branches looking in the direction in which their -mother had disappeared. They explored the entire tree, climbing -everywhere on the branches, then commenced racing and playing through -the treetop. - -At times their actions were very cat-like; now and then squirrel-like; -frequently they were very monkey-like; but at all times lively, -interesting, and bear-like. Occasionally they climbed and started -wrestling far out on a limb. Sometimes they fell off, but caught a -limb below with their claws, and without a pause, swung up again or -else dropped to another limb. Once they scrambled down the trunk -within a few feet of the bottom; and as they raced up again the lower -one snapped at the hind legs of the upper one and finally, attaching -himself to the other with a forepaw, pulled him loose from the tree -trunk. The upper one thus exchanged places with the lower one and the -lively scramble up the trunk continued. - -After a while one curled up in a place where three or four limbs -intersected the tree trunk and went to sleep. The other went to sleep -on his back on a flattened limb near the top of the tree. - -Realizing that the cubs would stay in the tree, no matter what -happened, I concluded to capture them. Though they had been having -lively exercise for two hours they were anything but exhausted. -Climbing into the tree I chased them round from the bottom to the top; -from the top out on limbs, and from limbs to the bottom--but was -unable to get within reach of them. - -Several times I drove one out on top of a limb and then endeavoured to -shake him off and give him a tumble to the earth. A number of times I -braced myself on a near-by large limb and shook with all my might. -Often I was able to move the end of the limb rapidly back and forth, -but the cubs easily clung on. At times they had hold with only one -paw--occasionally with only a single claw; but never could I shake -them free. - -The affair ended by my cutting a limb--to which a cub was -clinging--nearly off with my hatchet. Suddenly breaking the remaining -hold of the limb I tossed it and the tenacious little cub out, -tumbling toward the earth. The cub struck the earth lightly, and -before I had fully recovered from nearly tumbling after him came -scrambling up the tree trunk beneath me! - -One spring day while travelling in the mountains I paused in a whirl -of mist and wet snow to look for the trail. I could see only a few -feet ahead. As I looked closely a bear emerged from the gloom heading -straight for me. Behind her were two cubs. I caught an impatient -expression when she first saw me. She stopped, and with a growl of -anger wheeled and boxed the cubs right and left like a worried, -unpoised mother. They vanished in the direction from which they had -come, the cubs being urged on with lively spanks. - -Like most animals, the black bear has a local habitation. His -territory is twenty miles or less in circumference. In this territory -he is likely to spend his years, but in springtime he may descend to -feed on the earliest wild gardens of the foothills. I have tracked -black bears across mountain passes, and on one occasion I found a bear -track on the summit of Long's Peak. - -The black bear eats everything that is edible, although his food is -mainly that of a vegetarian. He digs out rich willow and aspen roots -in the shallow and soft places, and tears up numerous plants for their -roots or tubers. He eats grass and devours hundreds of juicy weeds. In -summer he goes miles to berry patches and with the berries browses off -a few inches of thorny bush; he bites off the end of a plum-tree limb -and consumes it along with its leaves and fruit. - -During summer I have seen him on the edge of snowfields and glaciers -consuming thousands of unfortunate grasshoppers, flies, and other -insects there accumulated. He is particularly fond of ants--tears ant -hills to pieces and licks up the ants as they come storming forth to -bite him. He tears hundreds of rotten logs and stumps to pieces for -grubs, ants and their eggs. He freely eats honey, the bees and their -nests. He often amuses himself and makes a most amusing and man-like -spectacle by chasing and catching grasshoppers. - -In a fish country he searches for fish and occasionally catches live -ones; but he is too restless or shiftless to be a good fisherman. I -have seen him catch fish by thrusting his nose in root entanglements -in the edge of a brook; sometimes he captures salmon or trout that are -struggling through shallow ripples. - -Occasionally he catches a rabbit or a bird. But most of his meat is -stale, with the killing of which he had nothing to do. He will devour -carrion that has the accumulated smell of weeks of corruption. He -catches more mice than a cat; and in the realm of economic biology he -should be rated as useful. He consumes many other pests. - -The black bear is--or was--pretty well distributed over North America. -His colour and activities vary somewhat with the locality, this being -due perhaps to a difference of climate and food supply. - -Everywhere, however, he is very much the same. Wherever found he has -the hibernating habit. This is most developed in the colder -localities. Commonly he is fat at the close of autumn; and as a -preliminary to his long winter rest he makes a temporary nest where -for a few days he fasts and sleeps. - -With his stomach completely empty he retires into hibernating quarters -for the winter. This place may be dug beneath the base of a fallen -tree, close to the upturned roots, or a rude cave between immense -rocks, or a den beneath a brush heap. Sometimes he sleeps on the bare -earth or on the rocks of a cave; but he commonly claws into his den a -quantity of litter or trash, then crawls into this and goes to sleep. -The time of his retiring for the winter varies with the latitude; but -usually all bears of the same locality retire at about the same date, -early December being the most common time. - -The grizzly bear is more particular in his choice of sleeping quarters -and desires better protection and concealment than the black bear. -Bears sometimes come forth in fair weather for a few hours and -possibly for a few days. I have known them to come out briefly in -mid-winter. - -With the coming of spring--anywhere between the first of March and the -middle of May--the bears emerge, the males commonly two weeks or more -earlier than the females. Usually they at once journey down the -mountain. They eat little or nothing for the first few days. They are -likely to break their fast with the tender shoots of willow, grass, -and sprouting roots, or a bite of bark from a pine. - -The cubs are born about mid-winter. Commonly there are three at a -birth, but the number varies from one to four. At the time of birth -these tiny, helpless little bears rarely weigh more than half a pound. -I suppose if they were larger their mother would not be able to -nourish them, on account of having to endure the hibernating fast for -a month or so after their birth. - -In May, when the cubs and their mother emerge from the dark den, the -cubs are most cunning, and lively little balls of fur they are! By -this time they are about the weight and size of a cottontail rabbit. -In colour they may be black, cinnamon, or cream. - -As with the grizzly, the colour has nothing to do with the species. -With black bears, however, if the fur is black his claws are also -black; or if brown the claws match the colour of the fur. With the -grizzly the colour of claws and fur often do not match. - -Few more interesting exhibitions of play are to be seen than that of -cubs with their mother. Often, for an hour at a time, the mother lies -in a lazy attitude and allows the cubs to romp all over her and maul -her to their hearts' content. - -The mother will defend her cubs with cunning, strength, and utmost -bravery. Nothing is more pathetic in the wild world than the -attachment shown by the actions of the whimpering cubs over the body -of their dead mother. They will struggle with utmost desperation to -prevent being torn away from it. - -In the majority of cases the mother appears to wean the cubs during -the first autumn of their lives. The cubs then den up together that -winter. In a number of cases, whenever the cubs are not weaned until -the second autumn, they are certain to den up with their mother the -first winter. The second winter the young den up together. Though -eager for play, brother and sister cubs do not play together after the -second summer. When older than two years they play alone or with other -bears of the same age. - -Young black bears have good tempers and are playful in captivity. But -if teased or annoyed they become troublesome and even dangerous with -age. If thine enemy offend thee present him with a black bear cub that -has been mistreated. He is an intense, high-strung animal, and if -subjected to annoyances, teasing, or occasional cruelty, becomes -revengeful and vindictive. Sometimes he will even look for trouble, -and once in a fight has the tenacity of a bulldog. - -Two bears that I raised were exceedingly good-tempered and never -looked for trouble. I have known other similar instances. I am -inclined to conclude that with uniformly kind treatment the black bear -would always have a kind disposition. - -For a year or two a dissipated cruiser and his loyal black bear were -familiar figures in the West. The pranks of the bear easily brought -drinks enough to enable the cruiser to be drunk most of the time. Many -times, when going to my room in the early morning after work on a -night shift, I found the cruiser asleep in the street entrance to my -lodging house. The faithful bear--Tar Baby--sat by the cruiser's side, -patiently waiting for his awakening. - -The black bear has a well-developed brain and may be classed among the -alert animals of the wild. Its senses are amazingly developed; they -seem to be ever on duty. When a possible enemy is yet a mile or so -distant they receive by scent or by sound a threatening and wireless -message on the moving or through the stationary air. Therefore it is -almost impossible to approach closely a wild bear. - -With the black bear, as with every living thing, every move calls for -safety first; and this exceedingly alert animal is among the very -first to appreciate a friendly locality. - -The black bear has never been protected as a game animal; through all -the seasons of the year, with gun and dogs, the hunter is allowed to -pursue him. As he is verging on extinction, and as he gives to the -wilds much of its spirit, there ought to be a closed season for a few -years to protect this rollicking fellow of the forest. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ON WILD LIFE TRAILS - - -A skunk passed by me going down the trail. In sight was a black bear -coming up. Which of these wilderness fellows would give or be forced -to give the right-of-way? There must be trail rights. I sat near the -trail an innocent and concealed by-stander--a bump on a log--wondering -about the wilderness etiquette for the occasion. - -The black bear is happy-go-lucky. This one was pre-occupied until -within two lengths of the skunk. A three-length side-leap and he stood -watchful and ready to escape. The solemn, slow-moving skunk held the -right-of-way and passed by without a turn of his head toward the -curious and watching black bear. The skunk ever has his own way. His -influence is most far reaching. - -The wilderness has a web of wild life trails. Many of these are dim. -The unobserved of all observers, I often sat in hiding close to a -worn, much-trampled wild life trail--a highway--where it crossed a -high point. - -Before me just at sunrise a grizzly and a mountain lion met. The -grizzly--the dignified master of the wilds--was shuffling along, going -somewhere. He saw the lion afar but shuffled indifferently on. Within -fifty feet the lion bristled and, growling, edged unwillingly from the -trail. At the point of passing he was thirty feet from his -trail-treading foe. With spitting, threatening demonstration he dashed -by; while the unmoved, interested grizzly saw everything as he -shuffled on, except that he did not look back at the lion which turned -to show teeth and to watch him disappear. - -It was different the day the grizzly met a skunk. This grizzly, as I -knew from tracking him, was something of an adventurer. His home -territory was more than forty miles to the southeast. He had travelled -this trail a number of times. On mere notion sometimes he turned back -and ambled homeward. - -But this day the grizzly saw the slow-walking skunk coming long -minutes before the black and white toddler with shiny plume arrived. -The skunk is known and deferred to by wild folk big and little. -Regardless of his trail rights the grizzly went on to a siding to -wait. This siding which he voluntarily took was some fifty feet from -the trail. Here the grizzly finally sat down. He waited and waited for -the easy-going skunk to arrive and pass. - -The approaching presence of the solemn, slow-going skunk was too much -and the grizzly just could not help playing the clown. He threw a -somersault; he rolled over. Then, like a young puppy, he sat on an -awkwardly held body to watch the skunk pass. He pivoted his head to -follow this unhastening fellow who was as dead to humour as the log by -the trail. - -Along the trail friend meets friend, foe meets enemy, stranger meets -stranger, they linger, strangers not again. The meetings may be -climaxes, produce clashes, or friendly contact; and in the passing -high-brows and common folks rub elbows. To meet or not to meet ever is -the question with them. - -One old trail which I many times watched was on a ridge between two -deep cañons. At the west the ridge expanded into the Continental -Divide and the trail divided into dimmer footways. The east end -terraced and the trail divided. Stretches of the trail were pine -shadowed, spaces were in sunlight. - -Where the trail went over a summit among the scattered trees -travellers commonly paused for a peep ahead. Often, too, they waited -and congested, trampling a wide stretch bare and often to dust. On -this summit were scoutings, lingerings, and fighting. Lowlanders and -highlanders, singly, in pairs and in strings, stamped the dust with -feet shod in hoofs or in claws and pads. - -One of the meetings of two grizzlies which I witnessed was on this -ridge trail. A steady rain was falling. Each saw the other coming in -the distance and each gave the right-of-way as though accidentally, by -showing interest in fallen logs and boulder piles away from the trail. -Each ludicrously pretending not to see the other, finally a passing -was achieved, the trail regained without a salute. - -A meeting of two other grizzlies revealed a different though a common -form. Each saw the other coming but each held to the trail. At less -than a length apart both rose and roared--feigned surprise--and -soundly blamed the other for the narrowly averted and well-nigh -terrible collision. But no delay for the last word. Each well pleased -with the meeting hastened on, too wise to look back. - -One day nothing came along this highway and I looked at the tracks in -the wide, dusty trail. The multitude of tracks in it overlapped and -overlaid each other. A grizzly track, like the footprint of a shoeless -primitive man, was stamped with deer tracks, stitched and threaded -with mice tails and tracks and scalloped with wolf toes. But its -individuality was there. - -For three days I had been a bump on a log by this place and no big -travellers had passed. The birds, chipmunks, and a squirrel were -entertaining as ever, but I had hoped for something else. I had just -started for camp when dimly through the trees I saw something coming -down the trail. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _The Prairie Dog_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _The Cony_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Looking for Small Favours_] - -A dignified grizzly and a number of pompous, stiff-necked rams met and -were so filled with curiosity that everyone forgot reserve and good -form. They stopped and turned for looks at one another and thus merged -a rude, serious affair into a slowly passing, successful meeting. - -I sometimes sat at a point on this ridge trail so that the passing -animal was in silhouette. The background was a lone black spruce -against the shifting sky scenery. Horns and whiskers, coats of many -colours, and exhibits of leg action went by. Horned heads, -short-arched necks, and held-in chins abundantly told of pride and -pomposity. But the character topography was in each back line. From -nose tip to tail, plateau, cañon, hill, and slope stories stood -against the sky. - -The tail, though last, was the character clue to the passing figure. -Regardless of curve, kink, or incline, it ever was story revealing: -sometimes long and flowing, but the short tail attitude incited most -imaginative interest in the attached individual. - -From treetop I watched one trail where it was crossed by a stream. -Generally deer and sheep went through the stream without a stop. In -it bears often rolled. Sometimes they used the wilderness bridge--the -beaver dam, and occasionally they splashed through the pond. Coyotes, -porcupine, squirrels, rabbits, and lynx used the dam. A porcupine -backed a lynx off this into the water, the lynx threatening and -spitting. But the lynx met a rabbit near the other end and the rabbit -went back with the lynx. - -A grizzly was about to cross when three fun-loving grizzly cubs -appeared. He stood aside and watched, perhaps enjoyed, their pranks in -the water before coming across. On the bank the cubs hesitated for a -moment before passing a sputtering squirrel who was denouncing them -for youthful pranks. A few inches of the first snow was on the ground. -I went back along the trail and examined tracks. At one point a lion -had come out of the woods and given the cubs a scare; and still -farther back they had stood on hind feet one behind the other, -evidently watching a black bear go well around them. - -Two flocks of bighorn mountain sheep passed by in single file like two -lines of proud, set wooden figures. One of these flocks was down from -the heights to visit a far-off salt lick. The other evidently was -returning to its local territory on the high range by a circuitous -route after being driven off by hunters. A few days later I saw these -flocks meet on a high plateau. They stopped to visit. Then one flock -turned back with the other and both edged over to an outlook rim of -the plateau where I left them, racing and playing in the on-coming -darkness. - -In numberless places I saw a single wild fellow meet his species. Two -coyotes advanced bristling and passed snarling. Another time two -coyotes met, eyed, and then turned off in the woods together. Two wild -cats advanced with declaration of war, made the forest aisles hideous -with whoops and threats, struck attitudes which go with blood and -gore--but nothing happened. Two squirrels approached, each loudly -demanding the right-of-way. They blustered, backed-up, threatened, -raced tempestuously up and down trees, and finally boastingly passed. - -Many a time two rabbits speeded silently by without a slowing, a -signal, or a look. Others kicked as they passed. One mid-winter day -two rabbits leaped to meet mid-air; then like bucking bronchos they -leaped high for action and like miniature mules turned here and there -to kick at the target with two feet. If this was fight or frolic only -rabbits know. - -It often happened that the breeze was favourable and I watched the -passing processions from my camp. Near camp two otters met and turned -aside and later I followed their trail to otter slide. Two woodchucks -met by a boulder on which I sat quietly. They counter-marched in half -war-like half circles. A pause, then with apparently friendly -negotiations progressing, they discovered a coyote slipping toward -them. - -Many times through the years I waited for odd hours, and days, at a -promising place on a trail a few miles from my cabin. The tracks along -this showed it to be in constant use, but never have I seen a -traveller pass along it. My being at many a meeting elsewhere was just -a coincidence. Years of wilderness wanderings often made me almost by -chance an uninvited guest--I was among those present. - -Dull fellows well met were skunk and porcupine. These dull-brained but -efficiently armed fellows are conceded the right-of-way by -conventional wilderness folk. They blundered to head-on clash. Never -before had this occurred. Each was surprised and wrathy. There was a -gritting of teeth. Each pushed and became furious. Then the skunk -received several quills in the side and in turn the porcupine a dash -of skunk spray. Both abandoned the trail, sadder but not wiser. - -Deer, bear, beavers, and wolves travel because they need to do so, or -for the fun of it. Deer shift for miles from a summer to a winter -range, travelling a regular migration route. A number of enemy wolves -may follow this moving food supply. Beavers may be seeking a home in -new scenes and a bear may be off on an adventure. - -Wild life trails were worn by generation after generation of wild -animals using the same route, the line of least resistance long -followed from one territory to another. Trampling feet assisted by -wind and water maintained a plain trail. Indian trails often were wild -life trails. Stretches of buffalo trails on the plains and bear trails -in Alaska were abandoned because so deeply worn and washed. - -From a low cliff by a mountain stream I watched the wild life along -the trail on the other side of the stream. The cañon was wooded but -the trail immediately opposite was in the open. - -Two packs of wolves met on the trail across the river. The leaders -rushed to grips and a general mix-up was on. But this was surprisingly -brief. There was an outburst of snarling and the gangs passed with but -little loss of time and with but one limping. - -Often as these travellers passed out of sight after a meeting I -wondered what and when would be their next adventure. Around a turn -of the trail within five minutes after the black bear met the skunk he -clashed with a lion, so tracks by the trail showed. - -I often wondered, too, what experience an animal had been through -immediately before he trailed into my sight. The peevish lion was just -from her fat, safe, happy kittens. One of the two cross grizzlies was -from a row with another grizzly, while the other had been playing -along the trail and was on good terms with himself and the world. - -When skunk and mink--the more offensive of the smelly family--meet in -contest, then smells to heaven their meeting. Driven into a corner, -the mink will spread high-power musk in the only avenue of advance. He -then is in an impregnable position--no fellow has nose sufficiently -strong to pass. Or, if the mink place a guarding circle of musk around -a prize kill this makes a time lock and will hold his prize for hours -against all comers. - -A skunk and mink clashed by the trail across the river. The skunk was -leisurely advancing to seize a flopping, misguided trout on the bank -when a mink rushed as though to close with the skunk. The skunk -hesitated--and lost the fish. The mink in the delay of action made -musk screen near the trout. The skunk went into action and drove the -mink off with vile skunk spray. The musk of mink caused his advance to -pause, he edged around to the other side, but too much, gave up the -fish, and walked off gritting his teeth. - -Beavers commonly leave stuffy house and spend summer vacation miles up -or down stream. They travel by water. The swift water of a rapids -forced two companies of beaver travellers to use the trail of -land-lubbers on the bank. Here the company going up visited with -another company going down. They mingled, smelled, and rubbed noses. -The company going up turned back and both went off to frolic in a -beaver pond. Later one company went on down and the other up the -stream. Tracks showed that ten left the pond going down; this company -had numbered twelve when it met the other company. The up-bound -company numbered fourteen at the meeting. Late that day I counted -those going up stream as they left the trail and took to the water at -the head of the rapids. They had increased their number to sixteen. - -Two droves of deer met one October on the trail by stream and a beaver -pond. They stopped, mingled, visited, and then laid down together. One -drove was migrating from summer range on the peaks and high plateaus -to winter range miles below. It was following along a trail -generations old. The other drove was home-seeking. A forest fire with -smoke still in the sky had laid barren their home territory. - -From my treetop observation tower I saw a single coyote coming, and -wondered what would be his attitude concerning the blockading of the -trail by superior numbers, and also how these superior numbers would -receive a single ancient enemy. But the deer were indifferent to the -lone little wolf. They utterly ignored him. - -The coyote walked leisurely around the vast assemblage with an air of -ownership. Then he sat down before them and eyed them with a display -of cynical satisfaction. He turned from this inspection and with a -leisurely, contented air walked by with, "I haven't time to-day--but I -should worry." - -I had my camp by a cliff a short distance up stream and of mornings -birds were numerous. A waterfall was at its best in the night. I had -planned to watch this place another day or two but the wind was from -the wrong quarter--it would carry my scent and warn travellers that a -possible killer was in ambush. So I travelled away on this trail. - -Many a time in the wilds I "met up" unexpectedly with wild life. And -as I recall these meetings I plan again to be among those present. -Unexpected meetings and near meetings were had with most large and -leading species of animals on the Continent. The alert grizzly, -realizing I was one of the super-killer species, generally avoided me. -I travelled alone and unarmed, and before I had satisfied myself that -the grizzly is not a ferocious animal I most unexpectedly met one. I -was his bogie--both acted on the impulse. - -In the wilds one may meet a skunk or a bear. Either gives -concentration--one's every-day faculties take a vacation, and the -Imagination has the stage. A bear adventure is telling. You meet the -bear, he escapes, and eager listeners hear your graphic story. - -The skunk is a good fellow--a good mixer. His policy is to meet or be -met--the other fellow will attend to the running. The war-filled -wilderness of tooth and claw ceases to be aggressive in the pacifying -process of the little black and white skunk. When a skunk goes into -reverse thus runs the world away. From the met skunk you absorb story -material--local colour, carry off enduring evidence; your friends -scent the story, they shrink from you; from registered fragments their -creative faculties have restored a movie scene. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -REBUILDING A BEAVER COLONY - - -In passing the Meadow Beaver Colony one July afternoon I saw an old -beaver come up out of the water with a ball of mud in his forepaws. He -jammed this mud into a low spot in the dam. Tracks in the mud along -the top of this old dam, and a number of green aspen sticks with the -bark eaten off lying on the side of the house, showed that a number of -beavers had been using this old house and pond for several days. - -This was interesting because the place had been abandoned fifteen -years before and most of the old beaver works were in ruins. One -house, now a mound overgrown with willows, retained its form. The pond -it was in had not filled with sediment. - -Did this repairing of the dam mean that this old colony was to be -resettled by beavers? It probably did, for the beavers ever work for a -purpose and not just to be working. It was mid-summer and all beavers -who were not making emergency repairs or extensive improvements were -off on a summer vacation. - -Beavers, like people, occasionally settle in scenes formerly occupied -by their kind, and build among the ruins of the long ago. Many a -beaver colony, like many an ancient city, has one or more cities -buried beneath it. - -A few days after seeing the big old beaver at work on the dam I -discovered him digging in a canal all alone. Tracks showed that other -beavers had been working in the canal, but just why this one was so -bold and showed himself during the daytime I could not guess. - -That these beavers were at work on a canal left no doubt about their -having come to stay. Meantime, the beavers occupied the old house and -pond while making this canal and doing other pioneer settlement work. -They cleaned it out and patched it up for a temporary camp only. - -A canal is one of the best exhibitions of beaver skill. About twenty -feet of this canal was finished and it was about three feet wide and -eighteen inches deep. It began in the northeast corner of the old pond -and was being dug across a filled-in grass-grown pond which had been -washed full of mud and sand. It pointed at an aspen grove out in the -pines two hundred feet away. It was probable that this canal would be -dug as close as possible to the aspen grove, then the canal filled -with water from somewhere and used to float aspen poles down to the -beginning--the lower end--of the canal. And close to the lower end a -house was almost certain to be built. - - [Illustration: Meadow Beaver Colony - Water level in canal 3 feet higher than level in pond - Canal 15 inches deep 30 inches wide, 70 feet long - Aspen grove 120 feet from house. - Willows grass aspen grove where food is obtained - Canal dug in meadow formed by silt and sediment filling - old beaver pond - A Beaver Canal] - -A buried log in the canal was gnawed in two and removed. The canal -curved around a boulder too large to be removed. At a distance of -eighty-one feet from the lower end the canal-builders came in contact -with granite rock and brought the canal to a stop by enlarging the -upper end into a basin about ten feet across. - -The entire length of this canal was through the sediment of a former -beaver pond. After making a pond beavers must occasionally raise the -height of the dam to deepen the water, and also dredge the mud from -the bottom. But despite both dredging and dam raising, the pond sooner -or later fills with sediment and has to be abandoned. In due time it -is overgrown with grass or a forest. - -Food shortage--complete exhaustion of the aspen growth--had compelled -the abandonment of the Meadow Colony after it had been a beaver -settlement for a great many generations. Two large ponds, a dozen -smaller ones, and three houses were left to their fate. Most of the -smaller ponds were completely lost, being overgrown with willows. Two -of the houses had crumbled and were now low wild flower beds. - -Since abandonment a number of aspen groves had grown, and although -these were some distance from the stream, they could be reached and -would furnish necessary food supply. - -These settlers had come from about ten miles down stream. During -summer vacations beavers make long rambling journeys. It may be that -some of these beavers had visited this old colony and knew of its -opportunities before coming to settle. - -From time to time during evenings I had glimpses of several of the -beaver settlers. From their appearance and from their footprints they -were mostly young beavers. During the autumn I several times dimly saw -them playing in the twilight. They splashed merrily about in the pond, -the entire colony taking part. - -With mud and willows the beavers repaired the breaks in the -but-little-damaged dam of the old pond. Then they cut a ditch thirty -or forty feet long through a ridge to a little pond to the north, and -filled the old large pond. Its waters extended to within twelve or -fifteen feet of the lower end of the canal. But as the canal was -nearly two feet higher than the surface of this pond, water for the -canal would have to come from a higher source, and I was puzzled as to -where this might be. But beavers plan their work two or three moves -ahead, and they probably knew what they were about. - -Commonly a house is built in the pond or on the edge of it. But on a -little space of raised ground, within ten feet of the lower end of -the canal and the edge of the pond, the foundation for a house was -being excavated. Two tunnels were made through it to the bottom of the -pond. - -The house was made of mud dredged from the bottom of the pond, and -this was reënforced with an entire clump of willows cut near by. There -were also used willow roots, sods, a few stones, and a few peeled -aspen sticks off which the beavers had eaten the bark, and which they -dragged from their temporary home--the old house. - -The finished house was about ten feet across the bottom and five feet -high. The walls were about two feet thick. The ventilation top was a -mass of criss-crossed sticks without mud. - -Beavers do most of their work at night--this probably is for safety -from men. It appears that at one time they may have regularly worked -during the daytime. But for generations hunters with guns have made -day work perilous. In out-of-the-way places where they had not been -disturbed I have seen a whole colony at work during the daytime even -when the work was not pressing. With exceptions they now work daytime -only in emergencies. At this place no one was troubling the beavers -and frequently I saw an old one, and at length I realized that it had -been the same old one each time. - -I was sitting on the side of the beaver house one afternoon changing -a roll of films when the old beaver rose on the pond and swam to a -half-submerged log about twenty feet away. I stopped film changing and -sat still to watch him. He had not scented me. Splendid reflections he -and the surroundings made in the water; the snowy top of Mount Meeker, -the blue sky, white clouds, brown willows, green, pointed pines, red -birches, and a single young aspen with yellow leaves--a brilliant -autochrome of autumn. - -The beaver rose from squatting and scratched himself behind a fore -leg, combed himself with forepaws, then standing high on his hind feet -held forepaws close to his breast and looked around. A fly alighted on -his nose. He struck at it. Again it alighted, and he brushed it away -with the other forepaw. Again he squatted on the log but facing in the -opposite direction. A few minutes later he dived off showing his wide, -webbed, gooselike hind feet, and striking the water a heavy, merry -whack with his broad black rubbery tail, sending the ripples scurrying -over the pond. - -The canal still remained empty, but with the completion of the house -it would be filled from somewhere and used in bringing in the harvest. - -One day late in September I found the canal and the little basin at -the south--the upper--end full of water. A spring concealed among -the willows forty feet above had been used. From the spring a small -ditch had been dug by the beavers and through this the water was -pouring rapidly into the now overflowing canal. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by S. N. Leek_ - _Mountain Lion_] - - [Illustration: - © _by C. L. Reed, Jr._ - _Bighorn Mountain Sheep_] - -Early one evening, two days later, I peeped through the willows near -the south end of the canal and saw an aspen pole with two or three -twigs and several leaves fluttering from it. It was moving down the -canal toward the house. The old beaver was propelling this. Both -forepaws were against the end of the pole and he pushed it speeding -toward the house at the lower end of the canal. He left this pole in -the water and returned for another, then another. - -When he arrived with the third there were two beavers dragging the -other poles over the short wet space between the end of the canal and -the edge of the pond. - -These aspens were being canned in the water--stored in the pond--from -which during the winter they would be dragged in short sections up -into the house and their bark eaten. - -A green aspen commonly water-logs and sinks inside of thirty-six -hours. The beavers were simply piling one pole on another, evidently -realizing that the sinking would follow. - -The following afternoon I saw the old beaver in the aspen grove -gnawing away at a seven-inch aspen. This was nearly cut off. In giving -the finishing bites he tiptoed, edged around the stump this way, then -that. When it began to crack and settle he started toward the canal. -He caught a small piece of aspen in his teeth, dragged this down into -the canal and left it, and swam on down to the house. - -In the water-filled basin at the end of the canal apparently the fresh -cuttings were collected and later transferred by water to their place -of deposit in the pond. These aspen chunks were from five to eight -feet long, were parts of small aspen tree trunks freshly cut off at -each end. - -Down in the pond, floating above the deposited pile, were numbers of -aspen limbs and tops. The bark of these as well as of the larger -cuttings was to serve as winter food for the beavers. - -Beavers do not eat meat or fish, but chiefly bark, with a little of -roots, mushrooms, lily bulbs, and berries. Yet several times during -the past year I read of beaver catching fish--out of season, too. - -This old beaver frequently appeared, first at one place and then at -another. Each time, too, in daylight. He did not seem afraid. But the -other beavers were not seen except about sundown, or in the twilight. -This old beaver may have been the leading colonist, the ruler of the -colony, if there be such a position. - -Beavers coöperate and carry out a distinct plan; in doing this they -work both unitedly and singly. The whole work, however, advances as -though to a plan and as though under constant supervision. Through the -years I have seen beavers working hundreds of times. Their work is -nearly always efficient and apparently under the direction of an -expert in beaver work; but never have I seen any sign or signal given -by a beaver that I could positively say was an order or command. But I -see no way of explaining the magnitude of beaver works and the skill -shown therein except through coöperation under an acknowledged leader. - -One evening as I was watching, a bobcat chased two beavers into the -pond. A few yards farther and they would have been overtaken. But the -instant they dived into the pond they were safe. - -The wild enemies of beavers are lions, bears, wolves, and wildcats; in -fact, any flesh-eating animal large enough to kill one. Rarely is a -beaver captured in water; he is a swift swimmer and can long remain -under water. But on land he is slow getting into action, is not agile, -and in going has only low gear. For safety he aims to cut trees that -are closest to the water. - -Another evening four, and a part of the time five, beavers were -pushing and dragging a log. When they at last pushed it into the canal -one beaver with only one forepaw put this forepaw against the end of -the log and conducted it down the canal. For safety for travel, and -for transportation beavers need deep water. - -There is a social side, too, to life in these deep-water homes. Not -only do beavers indulge in all kinds of water sports among themselves, -but they seem to make friends with some of their diving, swimming -neighbours in other animal families. - -I had often heard that beavers ever war upon their little brother, the -muskrat. The beavers in this colony did not. They continued to use the -old repaired house until near the close of their harvesting. On their -departure, apparently muskrats at once took possession. But the -beavers often went back into the old house. - -One day I saw a beaver enter the house. There were a number of -muskrats inside. I do not know the nature of his visit but there was -no excitement. Another time a beaver turned aside and touched noses -with a muskrat. Still another time a beaver playfully dived beneath a -muskrat. As the beaver came up the muskrat grabbed beaver fur with -forepaws and sat down on the beaver's back. Away swam the beaver with -back above the water, little brother holding on. - -The harvest of aspens for winter food was nearly finished, and I had -thus far seen only the old beaver doing any tree cutting. The evening -of the 19th of October I had gone through the aspen groves measuring -and counting. One hundred and twelve aspens had been cut; these were -from two to eleven inches in diameter at the place of cutting, and -from five to nineteen inches above the ground. The aspens were from -twelve to twenty-one feet high. - -Just at sundown, as I sat down on a boulder near the aspens, I saw a -beaver swimming in the canal toward me. In the basin at the end he -smelled of two logs, then came waddling heavily up the much-used trail -over which logs were dragged from the aspen grove. His big tail swung -slowly from side to side, in places dragging on the ground. He was an -old beaver that I had not before seen. He must have weighed fifty -pounds. He glanced right and left at aspens and stopped several feet -from one, rose up, looked into its top, turned, and looked into the -top of another. He went to the second one. Later I saw that the first -one was entangled at the top in the limbs of a near-by pine. - -Squatting on hind legs with tail bracing behind, he reared up and put -forepaws against a four-inch aspen. He took several bites into the -tree; then several inches higher--as high as he could reach--he did -more biting; after this he split and bit out the space between these -two cuttings. He then repeated cutting above and below and again -followed by splitting out the chip between--roughly following the plan -of an axeman. - -Once he stopped to scratch; he rubbed his back against the stump, and -clawed at the itchy spot with left forepaw. He ate a mouthful of bark -and resumed work. All the cutting had been done from one side, and for -the few final bites he scraped a quantity of trash against the stump -and stood upon this so as to reach the last bit to be cut off. He was -two or three minutes less than an hour in cutting off this four-inch -aspen, but aspen is of soft wood. He galloped behind a pine until the -aspen tumbled over. Waddling back to it, he snipped off several little -limbs, a single bite for each. He scratched his neck. Then he fell -rapidly to gnawing the trunk in two. But before this was accomplished -he took fright, perhaps from my scent, and went full gallop like a fat -cow to the end of the canal and dived in with tail whack and splash. - -During summer beavers eat their meals on the side of the house, or -bank of the pond, or on a log or boulder that is above the surface of -the pond. If enemy appear the beaver in a second dives to safety. For -the winter meal the beaver goes through the inclined tunnel from the -house into the water. At the food pile he cuts off a short section of -one of the aspens, takes this up into the house, and sits on the -floor, which is above water level, to eat the bark. - -Two hundred and eight aspens were cut in the grove, dragged to the -canal, floated down this and finally deposited in the pond. This made -a large food supply for the winter. A little more than one half these -were used, and the number of colonists fed probably was nine. - -Each spring beavers come out of winter quarters as early as possible -and at once begin to use fresh food. If any of the winter food harvest -remains canned in the water this is thrown out next autumn and used in -dam and house repairs. - -Many old beaver colonies have a den in addition to the house, and -others have a tunnel under the pond that comes out on shore some -distance beyond the shoreline. This tunnel is sometimes used in winter -while the pond is frozen over. But these new settlers were without -tunnel or den. - -These beaver pioneers had founded a new home before winter came. The -house was completed, a deep water pond had stored in it the autumn -harvest--food for months. This necessary work was completed a month -before the pond froze solid and several weeks before the first snow. - -This main pond is off the stream, connecting with it by a ditch -through the side of another pond, and will thus receive but little -sediment. But each year a layer of fine material will sift in and -settle on the bottom, making the pond shallower. Although this pond -will live longer than most ponds it, too, will meet the common -fate--be filled in with rich soil, be buried and forgotten beneath -grass, wild flowers, willows, and groves of trees. - -Several times through the ice I saw the beavers in the pond. A number -of times I watched them by the food pile cutting off sticks of -rations. Other times they were swimming about as though just having -their daily cold bath. - -While the glassy ice covering of the pond was still clear I once saw -them at play in the water beneath the ice; all nine. They wrestled in -pairs, they mixed in masses, they raced two and three, they followed -the leader circling and criss-crossing. Now and then one dropped out, -rose against the under surface of the ice where there was an air -pocket, and here I suppose had a few breaths and then resumed the -play. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE WARY WOLF - - -One day in western Wyoming an elk was killed by hunters. It was left -lying on the ground all night. Its only protection was a handkerchief -tied to one of the horns. Tracks in the snow showed that wolves were -about and that they had circled the carcass, but without going close -enough to touch it. - -In another instance a deer was left out all night in the wolf country. - -"How did you protect it?" someone asked the hunter. - -"By simply rubbing my hands over it," he answered. - -A mature wolf will not eat or touch anything that has human scent upon -it, or that carries the scent of iron or steel, which he evidently -associates with the deadly scent of man. - -A cowboy shot his injured pony and left it lying on the plains. The -pony was shod. Wolves did not touch the carcass. On another occasion -and in the same locality a pony was killed by lightning. It was not -shod and carried no human scent. Upon this pony the wolves were -feasting within a few hours. - -The wolf in his struggles with man has become an extremely cautious -animal. He is hunted and pursued with deadly ingenuity and -persistence. Guns, traps, poison, and dogs are used for his -destruction. There is no quarter for him--always a price on his head; -and the sum is large. Survivors must be exceptionally wide-awake and -wary. The numbers that still survive show that this exacting price of -existence has been met. They have not been beaten. Altogether, the -wolves now alive probably are much more destructive than their -ancestors were, and far more capable of saving themselves from -extermination by man. - -Much of the time wolves hunt in coöperating packs. They run an animal -down by following it in relays; sometimes one or more wolves lie in -wait at a point of vantage while others drive or force the victim into -the ambush. On an island in Alaska a number of wolves in relays chased -a deer and at last drove it into the sea. Near the point where it -leaped into the water a swimming wolf was in waiting. - -Three wolves chased a young antelope through my mountain camp. Though -they nearly ran over me, I doubt whether either the antelope or the -wolves saw me. On they went across the plateau. I hoped that the -antelope might escape; but just before he reached the top of a ridge I -saw a wolf peering over. The antelope and the wolves disappeared on -the other side, where I suppose the drifting clouds and steadfast -pines again witnessed a common tragedy of the wild. - -On another occasion I saw three wolves drive a deer from a cañon and -so direct its course that it emerged where the way was covered with a -deep snowdrift. As the deer floundered through the soft snow it was -pounced upon by a fourth wolf, which was lying in wait at this point. - -Wolves occasionally capture the young, the stupid, and the injured -among deer, sheep, elk, and moose; but the big-game loss from wolf -depredations probably is not heavy. These wolf-chased animals have -developed a wariness and endurance that usually enable them, except -perhaps during heavy snows, to triumph over this enemy. - -Economically, the food habits of wolves are not entirely bad. In many -localities they prey freely upon those ever-damaging pests--mice, -rats, rabbits, and prairie dogs. They are also scavengers. - -The vast herds of buffaloes used to be constantly followed by -countless packs of wolves. At that time the gray wolf was commonly -known as the buffalo wolf, and he is still often spoken of by that -name. The wolves were watchful to pounce upon any stray, weak, or -injured animal. - -Well-authenticated accounts tell us that often a number of buffaloes -would convoy a calf or a wounded buffalo to a place of safety. What a -strange thing it must have been, out on the plains, to see a pack of -wolves, fierce and fiendish, endeavouring to break through the buffalo -line of defense that surrounded a retreating calf! Except while -migrating, buffalo bulls appeared to have the habit of standing guard -over a sick or injured buffalo until the weak one got well or died. - -Wolves prey extensively on cattle and sheep; and to a less extent on -horses, pigs, and chickens. Many stockmen think that a single pair of -wolves may damage cattle herds to the value of a thousand dollars a -year. A single wolf has been charged with killing eighty head of -cattle in a year, or even ten head of stock in a month. Occasionally a -pair of wolves may kill a number of animals in a day. In Texas the red -wolf feeds on cattle, colts, sheep, and goats--the gray mostly on -cattle; while the black shows a fondness for pork of a better grade -than razorback. - -The cattle-raising country has a wolf popuation. Formerly wolves -followed the buffalo herds in their long drifts and migrations up and -down the plains; they now follow the cattle herds in the West. They -winter with the cattle in the lowlands, and in the summer accompany -the "beef on hoof" up into the high ranges among the peaks. - -When they come upon a herd of cattle they isolate one; then one or -more wolves systematically attack the head while another or others -attack behind. Their powerful jaws snap quickly and cut or crush -deeply. They endeavour to hamstring the victim. - -On one occasion, in southern Colorado, I saw a herd of cattle standing -in a circle with their heads outward. A number of wolves were -attacking them. By leaping unitedly--first at one then at -another--they finally frightened one victim out of the circle of -safety. He was at once driven away from the herd, and in a short time -the wolves had disabled his hind legs and pulled him down. - -On another occasion, in North Park, Colorado, I saw two wolves pull -down three two-year-olds in a short time. I watched them through a -field glass. One wolf attacked in front while the other kept leaping -and snapping at the flanks and legs until the animal fell. These three -animals were killed in less than half an hour. As they were not -eaten, the killing was apparently for the amusement of the wolves. - -In wolf-infested cattle territory it is common for one or more cows to -guard the calves while the other cows go to water. At a ranch where I -made my headquarters for a few days, the plan was being tried of -equipping every thoroughbred calf with a bell. This practice proved -only temporarily effective in keeping wolves away. - -In the cattle country you will find the wolfer--a picturesque -character engaged in the peculiar occupation of trying to exterminate -wolves. His equipment consists of a rifle, traps, and poison. A few -wolfers follow their occupation the year round. Many of them are free -trappers--some of them old-timers who have seen better trapping days. - -When a wolfer meets another wolfer, or when he is discussing business -with stockmen and others who are interested, his talk is likely to run -to "Three Toes," a wolf that killed so many cattle on the S.S. Bar -Ranch; or to "Old Two Toes," which John Jones succeeded in trapping. -He is eager to hear how Smith trapped the last wolf. Just as the -prospector has faith that he will find the mythical lost mine, many -wolfers firmly believe that they will yet compound a scent which will -please the nostrils of the most wary wolf and lure him to his doom. - -The hunter and the trapper keep bringing forward new and skillful ways -of poisoning and trapping wolves. But getting a wolf becomes -increasingly difficult. The majority of wolves now trapped are the -young or the stupid ones. Many trappers use traps by the gross. These -are set in clusters in selected places--in narrow trails, round -carcasses, and in the approaches to stream crossings. The traps are -concealed; placed in water; they are deodorized, hidden, and -false-scented with offal. Whole batteries are placed before or round a -stake the top of which is highly scented with something alluring to -wolf nostrils. - -One day I watched a trapper spend several hours in placing more than a -hundred traps round the carcass of a cow. He avoided touching the -carcass. This concealed trap arrangement was as complicated as a -barbed-wire entanglement. At one place he set the traps three abreast -and five deep. On another probable line of approach he set ten traps, -singly, but on a zigzag line. Two fallen logs made a V-shaped chute, -which ended close to the carcass. In the narrow end of this chute -another cluster of traps was set. Thus the carcass was completely -surrounded by numerous concealed traps. It seemed impossible for any -animal to walk to the carcass without thrusting a foot into one of -the steel jaws of this network of concealed traps. Yet a wolf got -through that night and feasted on the carcass! - -Clever ways have been devised to keep human scent off the poisoned -meat. Poison is inserted into pieces of meat without touching them -with the hand. Then these choice dainties are taken on horseback in a -rawhide bucket and scattered with wooden pinchers, the dispenser -wearing rubber gloves. Yet most wolves will starve before touching -these morsels, evidently scenting the poison! - -Forced by poison and traps to avoid most dead stuff that man has -touched, the wolf is compelled to do more killing. Then, too, his -special development and increased experience, together with his -exceptional equipment and opportunity, afford him a living and leave -him spare energy and time; so for the fun of it he kills and kills, -like a game-hog. - -In Montana I once saw a pair of wolves attack a broncho. The horse, -which was exceptionally keen-witted and agile, fought the wolves off -successfully for several minutes, and finally smashed a hind leg of -one with a kick. He then became aggressive, and endeavoured to stamp -the injured wolf to death. Under the brave protection of the other -wolf, which fiercely fought the enemy, the disabled one tried to -escape; but the horse landed a kick on this fighter, crippled it, and -finally killed both. - -The new environment of wolf life that accompanied the approach of man -demanded a change of habit. Many things that wolves had always -done--which had been good enough for their ancestors--must be done no -more; things that never had been done must be done at once. It was the -old, inexorable law--the survival of the fittest; the passing of those -which could not change and cope with newly imposed conditions. - -Any one who has had experience with wolves is pretty certain to -conclude that they are intelligent--that they reason. A trapper who -thinks that a wolf is guided by instinct, who fails to realize lupine -vigilance, and forgets that wolves are always learning--ever adapting -themselves to changing environment--will be laughed at by a -multiplying wolf population. - -With astounding quickness the new dangers man introduced into the wolf -world were comprehended and avoided. In the decade following 1885 -wolves appear to have gained knowledge of human ways more rapidly than -man developed in his knowledge of wolf ways. This rapid mental -development on their part cannot be called instinct. Plainly it was a -case of intelligence and the wisdom of experience. Surviving wolves -have learned absolutely to avoid those insidious means of death that -high bounties have led man to invent for their extermination. - -Apparently, too, old wolves promptly educate their children; so that -the youngsters avoid these new complex dangers. Whether this education -is consciously given on the part of the old wolves matters not. The -fact that wolves multiplied in the midst of the concerted and -relentless war waged against them by man indicates that the youngsters -learned how to take care of themselves from the experience and not -from the instincts of their parents. The safety-first slogan in the -wolf world appears to be: "Avoid being seen by a man; and never, never -touch anything that carries the scent of man or of iron or steel." - -A generation or two ago a wolf took no pains to keep out of sight; now -he uses his wits to avoid being seen. Then it was easy to trap him; -now he has become exceedingly difficult to trap. Long-range rifles, -poison, and steel traps brought about these changes. It was about 1880 -when wolves began to develop this cunning for self-preservation. Heavy -bounties brought numerous trappers and hunters into the wolf domain; -but such was their development that, despite this incessant warring, -for fifteen years the wolves actually multiplied. - -Both old wolves play with the puppies, and on rare occasions both at -the same time. More often one of the old ones allows the puppies to -play with it. The old one will lie full length while the puppies tug -and chew at its ears, bite and tug at tail, and snap at nose. Upon the -old one they climb, trampling and scuffling about. To all this the old -one submits without a move, unless it is to encourage or prolong the -interest of the puppies. - -A mated wolf is happy in the company of the mate. When well fed and -with leisure time--no puppies to watch over--they lie in the sun near -the den usually with one resting its head upon the body of the other. -Or, puppylike, they may wrestle and play together for an hour without -ceasing. - -Numbers often play together. In the "Adventures of a Nature Guide" I -have told of a number playing with a tumbleweed on a windy prairie. - -Sometimes they go away exploring. A trip of this kind often carries -them far beyond the bounds of their home territory. Sometimes they -appear to have a place in mind when they start; again they wander here -and there, following each inclination or new interest. - -Exploring often brings them in touch with strange wolves. With these -there may be battles but more likely organized play, like the relay -running of a deer or some other victim. When a number are together -they are likely to make life miserable for a mountain lion in case -they come upon the trail of one. They will even annoy a bear. - -The wolf has extraordinary endurance, great strength, senses amazingly -developed, and exceptionally powerful jaws. He is a good swimmer. I -have seen wolves swimming vigorously in rivers, wide lakes, and among -breakers. They appear to be equally at home in the mountains, in the -forest, in thickets, or on the prairie. They probably live from eight -to fifteen years. - -The coyote, or prairie wolf, is a distinct species, much smaller and -with more fox traits than his big brother, the gray wolf. - -The wolf is closely related to the dog family; in fact, a Husky, or -Eskimo dog, is a domesticated wolf. The track of a wolf is almost -identical with that of a dog. - -The average weight of a mature gray wolf is close to one hundred -pounds. In exceptional cases they have been known to weigh one hundred -and fifty pounds. They are, therefore, about twice the weight of the -coyote, or prairie wolf, and considerably larger and heavier than the -average collie. For the most part, those near the Arctic regions are -larger than those in the southern United States. - -Seen in profile at a distance, the back line is comparatively -straight. The ears rise just a trifle above this line; in front of the -hips the back sags a trifle, while the tail is extended almost -straight, with the point held slightly above the level of the back. -With the coyote the ears are more prominent, the back more swayed, and -the tail droops at a very sharp angle, with the point turned a little -upward. - -Among Indians wolf pets are common. At an Alaskan Indian encampment I -was once greeted by a number of romping Indian children who had -several black-faced wolf puppies with faces painted vermilion and -yellow. - -The puppies are born early in March. The number varies from six to -twelve. For the first few weeks they are almost black, especially -about the head. For a period after the young cease nursing the mother -stays with them much of the time, while the father hunts and brings -food to the entrance of the den or into it. At the age of a year the -young wolf is still puppylike, and apparently he does not reach -maturity until more than two years of age. - -Young wolves are sometimes seized by eagles or foxes; and all wolves -are subject to attacks from parasites and disease. - -Old storybooks are full of tales of wolf ferocity. Wolves pursue the -lone horseman, or even attack the occupants of a sleigh. A fiddler -returning at night is forced to take refuge on top of a deserted -building or in a treetop; or a mail carrier narrowly escapes with his -life after losing his sack. All too frequently we still hear stories -of wolves attacking a solitary traveller, but careful investigation of -these stories shows them to be sheer fabrications. - -The howl of the wolf is deep, while that of the coyote is shrill and -high-pitched. It appears that wolves have a language and a system of -signalling. These consist of howls, snarls, and barks of varying -length, with varying spaces or accents. Wolves prowl and howl mostly -at night; but it is not uncommon for them to hunt or to wander in the -daytime. - -The gray wolf is known also as the timber wolf. He may be gray, -grayish yellow, or grayish black, occasionally reddish; and now and -then he verges on cream colour. The colour varies greatly, even among -the members of a single and perhaps related pack. - -Formerly the gray wolf was distributed practically over all North -America. Though classified into various sub-species, it really was -the same wolf in Florida and Alaska, in Labrador and Arizona. In -different localities he varied in size, colour, and minor -characteristics; he necessarily adapted himself to the food supply of -his locality and followed the necessary means of getting his food. But -everywhere he was really the same gray wolf. - -The present wolf population of the United States is not numerous; but -it is active, aggressive, and destructive. The animal probably has -been exterminated in most of the Eastern States and in California. The -coyote probably is economically more beneficial to man than the gray -wolf, and does less damage to man's cattle. - -In common with most animals, wolves live on a fixed or home range. -They spend their life in one locality. This has a diameter of fifteen -or twenty miles. To a certain extent its area and form are dependent -on the food supply and the topography. One wolf that I knew of had a -home range that measured forty by ten miles. - -Much of the time wolves run in pairs; and, from both my own -observation and that of others, I believe they commonly mate for life. -Their home is a den. This most frequently is upon a southern slope. It -may be of their own digging or a badger or a prairie-dog hole which -the wolves have enlarged; or it may be a natural cave. In the woods it -may be in a huge hollow tree. Almost invariably a pair has a den to -themselves. I have heard of a few instances where two litters of wolf -puppies were found in the same den; but probably the second litter, in -an emergency, had been moved into the den for safety. - -Wolves within the bounds of the United States are not ferocious; they -do not attack human beings. That they were once ferocious is probable; -but years ago they learned the folly of exposing themselves to human -beings. - -Notwithstanding all this, the wolf is not a coward. He is brave enough -when anything is to be gained by being brave. The spectacular, -reckless, grand-stand bravery that is pretty certain to be accompanied -by death does not appeal to the wolf. Instances are on record, -however, where numbers of wolves have risked their lives in order to -save or to try to save a wounded companion, either from men or from -animals. - -A man captured and brought home a number of wolf puppies and placed -them in a box inside a high picket fence. He thought the mother might -come to their rescue and prepared to entrap her. He took off a picket -of the fence, and placed steel traps inside and outside the fence and -in the gap. On the first night the mother did bravely come to the -rescue; but she avoided all dangers and carried off her puppies. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -WINTER WAYS OF ANIMALS - - -On the way home one winter afternoon I came upon a beaver colony a -little below timberline. In the edge of the woods I stood for a time -looking out on the white smooth pond. Lines of tracks crossed it from -every point of the compass. Two camp birds alighted on a tree within a -few feet and looked me over. I heard a flock of chickadees going -through the woods. - -A lynx came out of the willow clumps on the opposite shore. He walked -out on the snowy pond and headed straight for the house. He was in no -hurry and stepped slowly along and climbed on top of the house. Here -he sniffed a time or two, then raked the house with right forepaw. He -sniffed again. Nothing in reach for him. - -Climbing down off the beaver house the lynx walked around it and -started for the woods near me. Catching my scent he stopped, took a -look, then went full speed into the Engelmann spruce forest. Other -lynx had visited the top of the beaver house and also prowled along -the bottom of the dam. A number of mountain sheep had crossed the pond -a day or two before. - -The pond was in a deep gulch and a goodly stream of water out of sight -beneath the ice and snow was running into it. The concentrated outflow -burst out over the top of the south end of the dam through an -eighteen-inch opening. This pond was frozen over for five months. For -these five months the beaver each day had a swim or two in the water -under the ice. When hungry he took a section of an aspen from the pile -on the bottom of the pond. This was dragged under the ice up into the -house, where it afforded a meal of canned green bark. - -Most summer birds fly away from winter. Other birds and a few animals -travel a short distance--go to a place where food is more abundant -although the winter there may not be any milder than in the locality -in which they summered. Birds that remain to winter in the locality in -which they summered, and most of the animals, too, go about their -affairs as usual. They do not store food for the winter or even for -the following day. The getting of food in the land of snows does not -appear to trouble them. - -But a number of animals--squirrels, chipmunks, conies, and -beavers--store food for the winter. Generally these supplies are -placed where they are at all times readily reached by the owners; on -the earth, in it, in the water; the place depending on the taste and -the habits of the fellow. - -Upon the mountain tops the cony, or Little Chief Hare, stacks hay each -autumn. This tiny stack is placed in the shelter of a big boulder or -by a big rock, close to the entrance of his den. While the beaver is -eating green canned bark the cony is contentedly chewing dry, cured -hay. - -The beaver is one of the animals which solves the winter food and cold -problem by storing a harvest of green aspen, birch, and willow. This -is made during the autumn and is stored on the bottom of the pond -below the ice-line. Being canned in cold water the bark remains fresh -for months. - -Squirrels store nuts and cones for winter food. Most squirrels have a -regular storing place. This covers only a few square yards or less and -usually is within fifty or sixty feet of the base of the tree in which -the squirrel has a hole and a winter home. - -Commonly, when dining, the squirrel goes to his granary or storage -place and uses this for a dining room. A squirrel in a grove near my -cabin sat on the same limb during each meal. He would take a cone, -climb up to this limb, about six feet above the snow, back up against -the tree and begin eating. One day an owl flew into the woods. The -squirrel dropped his cone and scampered up into the treetop without a -chirp. - -Another day a coyote came walking through the grove without a sound. -He had not seen me and I did not see him until the squirrel suddenly -exploded with a sputtering rush of squirrel words. He denounced the -coyote, called him a number of names. The coyote did not like it, but -what could he do? He took one look at the squirrel and walked on. The -squirrel, hanging to the cone in his right hand, waved it about and -cussed the coyote as far as he could see him. - -A number of species of chipmunks store quantities of food, mostly weed -seed. But no one appears to know much of the winter life of chipmunks. - -Chipmunks around my home remain under ground more than half of the -year. Two near my cabin were out of their holes only four months one -year. They were busy these four months gathering seeds and peanuts -which they stored underground in their tunnels. Twice by digging I -found the chipmunks in a sleep so heavy that I could not awaken them, -and I believe they spend much of the eight months underground -sleeping. Digging also revealed that they had eaten but little of -their stored supplies. - -When food becomes scarce and the weather cold and snowy, a number of -animals hole up--go into a den. By hibernating, sleeping away the -weeks the earth is barren and white, they triumph over the ways of -winter. Bears and ground-hogs are famous hibernators. Many chipmunks -and some species of squirrels hibernate for indefinite periods. - - The Bat and the Bear, they never care - What winter winds may blow; - The Jumping-mouse in his cozy house - Is safe from ice and snow. - - The Chipmunk and the Woodchuck, - The Skunk, who's slow but sure, - The ringed Raccoon, who hates the moon, - Have found for cold the cure. - --SAMUEL SCOVILLE, JR., in _Everyday Adventures_. - -Animals which hibernate, fast and sleep through much or all of the -winter, are not harmed and possibly are benefitted by the fasting and -sleeping. Bears and ground-hogs are fat when they go to bed in the -autumn and fat and strong when they come out in the spring. - -A snowy winter gives a bear den a cold-excluding outer -covering--closes the entrance and the airholes. Most bears and -ground-hogs appear to remain in the den all winter. I have known an -occasional ground-hog to thrust out his head for a few minutes now and -then during the winter, and bears may come forth and wander about for -a time, especially if not quite comfortable. I have known a number of -bears to come out toward spring for brief airings and sunnings. - -Mid-winter a bear wanted more bedding. In fact, he did not have any, -which was unusual. But the winter was cold, no snow had fallen, and -the frigid wind was whistling through his poorly built den house. The -usual snow would have closed the airholes and shut out the cold. He -was carrying cedar bark and mouthfuls of dried grass into the den. - -This same winter I came upon another bear. Cold or something else had -driven him from his den. When I saw him he was trying to reopen an old -den which was back in a bank under the roots of a spruce. He may have -tried to dig a den elsewhere, but the ground was frozen almost as hard -as stone. While he was working a bob-cat came snarling out. The bear -struck at it. It backed off sputtering then ran away. In tearing out a -root the bear slipped and rolled down the bank. He went off through -the woods. - -Late one February I came upon a well-worn bear trail between the sunny -side of a cliff and an open den. In this trail there were tracks fresh -and tracks two or more weeks old. Elsewhere I have seen many evidences -that bears toward spring come out briefly to sun themselves and to -have an airing. But never a sign of their eating or drinking anything. - -Near my cabin I marked four ground-hog holes after the fat fellows -went in. On September tenth I stuffed a bundle of grass in the -entrance of each den. Sometime during the winter one of them had -disturbed the grass and thrust out his head. Whether this was on -Ground-hog Day or not, I cannot say. The other ground-hogs remained -below until between April seventh and twelfth, about seven months. And -these seven months were months of fast, and possibly without water. - -The raccoon, who ever seems a bright, original fellow, appears to have -a hibernating system of his own. Many a raccoon takes a series of -short hibernating sleeps each winter, and between these sleeps he is -about hunting food, eating and living as usual. But I believe these -periods of hibernating often correspond to stormy or snowy periods. - -While trying to see a flock of wild turkeys in Missouri one winter day -I had a surprise. The snow showed that they had come out of the woods -and eaten corn from a corn shock. I hoped to see them by using a -near-by shock for a blind and walked around the shock. The snow over -and around it showed only an outgoing mouse track. No snow had fallen -for two days. - -I had gotten into the centre of the shock when I stepped on something -that felt like a big dog. But a few seconds later, when it lunged -against me, trying blindly to get out, it felt as big as a bear. I -overturned the shock in escaping. A blinking raccoon looked at me for -a few seconds, then took to the woods. - -Deep snow rarely troubles wild life who lay up food for winter. And -snow sometimes is even helpful to food storers and also to the bears -and ground-hogs who hibernate, and even to a number of small folk who -neither hibernate nor lay up supplies. - -One winter afternoon I followed down the brook which flows past my -cabin. The last wind had blown from an unusual quarter, the northeast. -It made hay-stack drifts in a number of small aspen groves. One of -these drifts was perhaps twenty feet across and about as high. The -treetops were sticking out of it. - -On the top of the snowdrift a cotton-tail was feeding happily off the -bark of the small limbs. This raised platform had given him a good -opportunity to get at a convenient food supply. He was making the most -of this. At the bottom he had bored a hole in the snow pile and -apparently planned to live there. - -While peeping into this hole two mice scampered along it. This snow -would protect them against coyotes. Safe under the snow they could -make their little tunnels, eat grass and gnaw bark, without the fear -of a coyote jumping upon them. - -Tracks and records in the snow showed that for two days a coyote did -not capture a thing to eat. During this time he had travelled miles. -He had closely covered a territory about three miles in diameter. -There was game in it, but his luck was against him. He was close to a -rabbit, grabbed a mouthful of feathers--but the grouse escaped, and -even looked at a number of deer. At last, after more than two days, -and possibly longer, he caught a mouse or two. - -Antelope in the plains appear to live in the same territory the year -round. Many times in winter I have been out on the plains and found a -flock feeding where I had seen it in summer. But one snowy time they -were gone. I found them about fifteen miles to the west, where either -less snow had fallen or the wind had partly swept it away. The -antelope were in good condition. While I watched them a number started -a race. - -The wolves had also moved. A number of these big gray fellows were -near the antelope. Just what the other antelope and the other wolves -who used this locality did about these new folks, I cannot guess. - -Mountain deer and elk who usually range high during the summer go to -the lowlands or several miles down the mountains for the winter. They -may thus be said to migrate vertically. One thousand feet of descent -equals, approximately, the climatic changes of a thousand-mile -southward journey. They may thus winter from five to twenty-five miles -from where they summered, from one thousand to several thousand feet -lower. The elk that winter in the Jackson Hole region have a summer -range on the mountains forty or fifty miles away. But elk and deer -that have a home territory in the lowlands are likely to be found -summer after summer in the same small, unfenced pasture. - -Moose, caribou, deer, and elk during heavy snows often resort to -yarding. Moose and caribou are experts in taking care of themselves -during long winters of deep snows. They select a yard which offers the -maximum food supply and other winter opportunities. - -One snowy winter I visited a number of elk that were yarding. High -peaks rose snowy and treeless above the home in the forest. The -ragged-edged yard was about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile -wide. About one half the yard was a swamp covered with birch and -willow and a scattering of fir. The remainder was a combination of -open spaces, aspen groves, and a thick growth of spruce. - -Constant trampling compressed the snow and enabled the elk readily to -move about. Outside the yard they would have bogged in deep snow. In -the swamp the elk reached the moss, weeds, and other growths. But -toward spring the grass and weeds had either been eaten or were buried -beneath icy snow. The elk then ate aspen twigs and the tops and limbs -and bark of birch and willow. - -Ease of movement in this area enabled the elk to keep enemies at bay. -Several times I saw from tracks that lion had entered this selfmade -wild life reservation, and on two occasions a number of wolves invaded -it. But each time the elk had bunched in a pocket of a trampled space -and effectively fought off the wolves. - -One day late in February I visited the yard. The elk plainly had lost -weight but were not in bad condition. While I lingered near the entire -herd joined merrily in chase and tag, often racing then wheeling to -rear high and fence with heads. If I counted correctly this herd went -through the entire winter without the loss of an elk. - -But the caribou appears to be the only animal which migrates between -summer and winter ranges, that is, which makes a long journey of -hundreds of miles; as much change of place as made by many species of -migrating birds. The main cause for this migration is the food supply, -but myriads of mosquitoes in the woods may be one cause of the moose -moving each summer far into the north where there are grassy prairies -and large openings in the woods. But for winter they seek food and -shelter in a yard in the forest. - -While snowshoeing in the forested mountains to the southeast of Long's -Peak I came upon a mountain lion track startlingly fresh. I followed -it to a den beneath a rock pile at the bottom of a cliff. Evidently -the lion was in. Seeing older tracks which he had made on leaving the -den, I trailed these. After zigzagging through the woods he had set -off in a bee-line for the top of a cliff. From this point he -evidently saw a number of deer. He had crawled forward, then -back-tracked and turned to the right, then made round to the left. The -snow was somewhat packed and his big feet held him on the surface. The -deer broke through. - -The lion climbed upon a fallen tree and crept forward. He was screened -by its large upturned root. At last he rushed out and seized a near-by -deer and killed it, evidently after a short struggle. He had then -pursued and killed a young deer that had fled off to the left where it -was struggling in the heavy snows. Without returning to the first kill -the lion fed off the second and returned to the den. - -I followed the other deer. In a swamp they had fed for a time on the -tops of tall weeds among the snow and willows. I came close to them in -a thick growth of spruce. Here the snow was less deep. A goodly -portion of the snow still clung to the trees. - -These deer circled out of the spruce swamp and came into their trail -made in entering it. Back along this trail they followed to where the -lion had made the first kill. Leaping over this dead deer they climbed -up on the rocky ridge off which so much snow had blown that they could -travel speedily most of the time over the rocks with only now and then -a stretch of deep snow. - -Often during my winter trips I came upon a porcupine. Both winter and -summer he seemed blindly content. There were ten thousand trees -around, and winter or summer there were meals to last a life-time. -Always he had a dull, sleepy look and I doubt if he ever gets -enthusiastic enough to play. - -Birds that remain all winter in snowy lands enjoy themselves. Like the -winter animals, usually they are well fed. But most species of birds -with their airplane wings fly up and down the earth, go northward in -the spring and southward in the autumn, and thus linger where summer -lingers and move with it when it moves. - -Around me the skunks hibernated about two months each year; some -winters possibly not at all. Generally the entire skunk family, from -two to eight, hole up together. One den which I looked into in -mid-winter had a stack of eight sleepy skunks in it. A bank had caved -off exposing them. I left them to sleep on, for had I wakened them -they might not have liked it. And who wants to mix up with a skunk? - -Another time a snowslide tore a big stump out by the roots and -disclosed four skunks beneath. When I arrived, about half an hour -after the tear-up, the skunks were blinking and squirming as though -apparently too drowsy to decide whether to get up or to have another -good sleep. - -Many tales have been told about the terrible hunger and ferocity of -wolves during the winter. This may sometimes be so. Wolves seem ever -to have good, though not enormous, appetites. Sometimes, too, they go -hungry for days without a full meal. But generally, if the winter is -snowy, this snow makes it easier for them to make a big kill. - -Deer, elk, and mountain sheep occasionally are caught in deep snow, or -are struck by a snowslide. A number sometimes are snowbound or killed -at one time. Usually the prowling wolves or coyotes discover the kill -and remain near as long as the feast holds out. - -Once I knew of a number of wolves and two lions lingering for more -than two weeks at the wreckage brought down by a snowslide. I was -camping down below in the woods and each evening heard a hullabaloo, -and when awake in the night I heard it. Occasionally I heard it in the -daytime. Finally a grizzly made a discovery of this feeding ground. He -may have scented it or he may have heard the uproars a mile or two -away. For the wolves and the lions feasted, fought, and played by the -hour. The row became so uproarious one night that I started up to see -what it was all about. But the night was dark and I turned back to -wait until morning. Things had then calmed down, and only the grizzly -remained. After he ran off I found that from fifteen to twenty deer -had been swept down by the slide and mixed with the tree wreckage. - -The right kind of winter clothing is an important factor for winter -life for both people and animals. The clothing problem perhaps is more -important than the food question. - -Winter in the Temperate Zone causes most birds and animals to change -clothing--to put on a different suit. This usually is of winter weight -and in many cases of a different colour than that of the summer suit. -Bears, beavers, wolves, and sheep put on a new, bright, heavy suit in -autumn and by spring this is worn and faded. The weasel wears -yellow-brown clothes during summer, but during winter is in pure-white -fur--the tip of the tail only being jet black. The snowshoe rabbit has -a new suit at the beginning of each winter. This is furry, warm, and -pure white. His summer clothes are a trifle darker in colour than -those of other rabbits. If there is no snow he eats with his feet on -the earth or on a fallen log or rock pile, but if there is a deep snow -he has snowshoes fastened on and is ever ready to go lightly over the -softest surface. - -In these ways--hibernating, eating stored food, or living as in summer -time from hand to mouth--the animals of the Temperate Zone go -contentedly through the winter with a change of habit and all with a -change of clothing. The winter commonly is without hardship and there -is time for pranks and play. Winter, so the animal Eskimos say, and so -the life of the Temperate Zone shows, will bear acquaintance. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS - - -I awakened one morning out on the Great Plains to find that in the -dark I had camped near the nursery of a mother antelope and her two -kids. It was breakfast time. Commonly both antelope children nurse at -once, but this morning it was one at a time. Kneeling down, the -suckling youngster went after the warm meal with a morale that never -even considered Fletcherizing. Occasionally he gave a vigorous butt to -hasten milk delivery. - -Breakfast over, the mother had these youngsters lie low in the short -grass of a little basin. She left them and began feeding away to the -south. The largest objects within a quarter of a mile were a few -stunted bunches of sagebrush. I moved my sleeping bag a short distance -into an old buffalo wallow and watched her. She fed steadily up a -moderate slope but was always in position where she could see the -youngsters and the approach of anything in the unobstructed opening -round them. This mother was not eating the abundant buffalo grass -celebrated for its nutrition, nor any of the blooming plants. She was -eating, and plainly with relish, simply the gray-green bitter leaves -of the shrubby scattered sage. On reaching the low summit of the -prairie swell she paused for a little while on the skyline, then -started on a run for a water-hole about two miles distant. - -A few seconds later a fox-like head peeped over a little ridge a few -hundred feet from the kids. Then a distant bunch of sagebrush -transformed itself into another moving form, and two coyotes trotted -into the scene. Evidently these coyotes knew that somewhere near two -youngsters were hidden. They followed the mother's trail by scent and -kept their eyes open, looking for the youngsters. - -Old antelope have perhaps more numerous scent glands than other big -wild animals, but evidently a young antelope gives off little or no -scent. Its youthful colour blends so well with its surroundings when -it lies down that it is difficult to see it. Once the young flatten -out and freeze upon the grassy earth they offer but little that is -revealing even to the keenest eyes and noses. - -Both coyotes paused within a few feet of one of the kids without -either seeing or scenting it. It was flattened out between two clumps -of sagebrush. Finally, unable to find the youngsters, the coyotes -trotted off along the mother's trail. - -I went over to have a look at the children. Though I knew just about -where they were I looked and circled for some time before my eyes -detected them. They were grayish brown with the outlines of future -colour scheme faintly showing. Within two feet of each I stood and -watched them. A fly crawled over the eye and ear of one kid and an ant -over the nose of the other, and yet neither made a move. - -For about two weeks, while the legs of the young are developing -liveliness, the mother keeps aloof from her kind. She often has a -trying time with enemies. - -As soon as the coyotes were out of sight I hastened to the highest -near-by point hoping with glasses to see the mother antelope. She was -just leaving the water-hole. Her movements evidently were a part of a -strategic plan to deceive the watchful eyes and the cunning noses of -enemies, chiefly coyotes. She fed a quarter of a mile south, then ran -on for more than a mile still farther. She then galloped more than two -miles northeast and later, with many doublings which involved her -trail, worked back to the youngsters. - -In following and watching the movements of the mother I stumbled over -a lone antelope kid about half a mile from the other two. I returned -later and found that it was entangled between the twisted low-lying -limbs of a sagebrush. Not until I laid hold of the kid to drag it out -did it make a move. Then it struggled and gave a low bleat. - -Realizing that this might bring the mother like lightning I let go and -rose up. There she was, coming like the wind, and only four or five -hundred feet away, indifferent to the fact that man is the most -dangerous of enemies. Just how close she might have come, just what -might have happened had I not straightened up at that moment, is sheer -guesswork. But the freed youngster butted me violently behind and then -ran off to meet his mother. - -During most of the year the great silent plains are at rest in tawny -and gray brown. The dreamy, sunny distances show only moving cloud -shadows. A brief barrage of dust storm sometimes sweeps across or a -wild drive of tumbleweeds with a front from horizon to horizon goes -bounding and rolling toward the rim, where they go over and vanish. -But these endless distances are palpitating with flowers and song when -the young antelope are born. - -One May morning a flock of blackbirds alighted upon a leafy cottonwood -tree--a lone tuft in an empire of treeless distances. They sang all at -once--a whirlwind of song. Two antelope herds were on separate -skylines. The silvery, melodious peal of the yellow-breasted meadow -lark rang out all over the wide wild prairie. Prairie dogs scampered, -barked, and played; butterflies circled and floated above the -scattered and stunted sage; thousands of small birds were busy with -nest and song, and countless ragged spaces of brilliant wild flowers -illuminated the grass-green surface to every horizon. - -The antelope is known as the pronghorn, because of a single small -prong on each horn. This prong is more like a guard and serves as a -hilt. In fighting an antelope often catches its opponent's thrust on -this prong. The horn commonly is less than ten inches long. Many -females do not have horns, and rarely are these fully developed on any -female. - -Deer and elk have deciduous horns--that is, horns that are shed -annually. Goat and bighorn never shed their horns. But each year -antelope sheds the outer part--the point and sheath--of the horn, -retaining the stubs or stumps which grow new horns. - -The antelope has a number of marked characteristics and some of these -are unique. It is without dew claws; the hair is hollow and filled -with pitch; teeth are of peculiar pattern; it eats mostly bitter or -pungent food; has large, long-range eyes of almost telescopic power; -has numerous and scattered scent glands; is without colour -camouflage--in fact, its colour is in part revealing, for the -bristling of its white buttocks serves to give signal flashes. The -antelope is the plains' graceful racing model of long and successful -development. It is either the least--the smallest--or near the -smallest of our hoofed wild animals. - -The antelope is specialized in speed. If there were to be a -free-for-all race on the plains, with deer, antelope, elk, sheep, -bear, lion, coyote, fox, dog, horse, and even the rabbit as starters, -the antelope generally would be the winner, whether the race was for -one mile or ten. Perhaps the blooded race horse and the greyhound -would outstrip him, but among wild animals the antelope is the speedy -one. - -Wolves and coyotes pursue the pronghorn in relays or capture it -strategically through various kinds of mutual aid. Now and then an -antelope will turn upon its pursuers and fight them fiercely, -occasionally triumphantly. - -On the Great Plains in western Nebraska I saw two speeding objects -stirring dust on the horizon. It was an antelope cut off from the -flock and pursued by a wolf. They plunged for a moment or two in a dip -of the plains, then reappeared. With glasses on them I saw the -pursuing wolf drop out and another wolf leap from concealment to -relieve him. Following them through glasses as they raced on skyline -against a cloud, dropped below eyeline, dashed behind a butte, swiftly -the great circle followed brought them within half a mile. In plain -view another wolf leaped into the race. The antelope was nearly -exhausted. The wolves were leaping at her throat as she disappeared -over a ridge. Little puffs of dust showed the advance of pursuer and -pursued. These grew dim and I watched for the runners to come up on -the skyline. But they never appeared. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Wild Life Trail Centre_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _My Departing Caller_] - -I watched a coyote walk back and forth close to a mother antelope with -two young kids. She paid no apparent attention to him. But she was -besieged. After two or three hours he was relieved by another coyote. -This was a new and rather leisurely way of relaying. Evidently the -devilish plan was to wear the antelope out or stay until she was -forced to go for water and then seize the youngsters. - -It was more than fifteen miles to the next water-hole. This may have -been the second or even the third day that the coyotes had been -worrying her. I frightened them away, but had not gone half a mile -when I saw them circling back again. I do not know the end of the -story, but as I walked on I wished that this mother antelope might -have possessed the special development of the pronghorn in the desert -regions--the ability to do without water for days at a time. - -The food of the pronghorn is sage, greasewood, sometimes cactus, and, -on the desert, broomrape. I do not recall ever seeing him eat grass. -In the extremely arid regions of the Southwest the local flocks, in -common with mountain sheep and other animals of the desert, have -developed the habit of doing without water for days--sometimes for a -period of two weeks or longer have no other moisture than that -furnished by the plants eaten. - -When the young antelope are about three weeks old they appear to have -full use of their legs and usually follow the mother in feedings and -fights. At this time numbers of mothers and youngsters collect and run -together. They are thus enabled to give mutual aid and to withstand -coyotes and other enemies better. Sometimes under dangerous conditions -the young are left behind while some of the mothers go for water, and -on their return the remaining ones go. Just why this mutual aid is not -practised while the young are almost helpless is not clear. - -In early autumn all ages and sexes unite and commonly run together, -often in large flocks, throughout the winter. The youngsters often -play together. Frequently one of the males is the lively leader of -twenty or thirty. At other times the old antelopes play, go through a -series of marches and countermarches. They race back and forth and -over short circles. When thus engaged they commonly have sentinels -posted on the outskirts. - -Most other animals appear to forget possible enemies while playing, -but the nervous antelope, with big open spaces round it, appears never -to be quite in repose. - -Depending upon speed rather than upon stealth, fighting ability, or -concealment, as a means of escaping enemies, and living in the plains -with a magnificence of unobstructed distances, it has learned to be -watchful, to use sentinels, and to flee even when danger is afar. - -Usually when the antelope lies down it selects a spot well away from -any ravine, bluff, willow clump, or sagebrush thicket that could -conceal an enemy or that would enable an enemy to approach it closely -unseen. - -Under most conditions the female appears to be the acknowledged -leader. In the majority of instances in which I have watched moving -flocks of antelope--fleeing small numbers or a number of alarmed -antelope preparing to move--it was under female leadership. - -The pronghorn lives in a home territory. This I think is rarely more -than six or eight miles in diameter. If pursued by man, dogs, or -wolves it is likely to run in great circles, keeping within the bounds -of home territory. Most antelope are not migratory, but in a few -localities the flocks make a short migration. For winter they may -travel to a more broken locality, one that gives some shelter from the -wind and contains spaces off which the wind sweeps the snow. - -The antelope makes long leaps but not high jumps. I watched an -antelope that had been separated from the flock hurrying to rejoin it. -In its way was a line of willows along the dry, shallow water channel. -This willow stretch was not wide nor high. A deer would have leaped it -without the slightest hesitation. The antelope went far round and -jumped wide gullies, but made no attempt to leap this one low line of -willows. Being a plains animal, knowing but little of cliffs and -timber, it has not learned high jumping. - -For ages the antelope was thickly scattered over the Great Plains and -the small parks of the West, Northwest, and Southwest. Fifty years ago -they were numbered by millions. The present antelope population -numbers not more than 15,000. Howard Eaton tells me that years ago he -sometimes saw several thousand in a single day. Once when a boy I saw -at least a thousand in a North Park, Colorado, flock. - -A few are now protected in the national parks and in private antelope -reserves. But they are verging well toward extermination. Rarely does -the antelope thrive in captivity. Apparently the food ordinarily fed -it in captivity does not agree with it. - -Mature antelope are marked with what may be called revealing colours, -which advertise their presence and make them easily visible at long -distances: rich tan to grayish brown on the back and sides, with clean -white buttocks and sides of face and belly; the throat faintly striped -with white and brown; and a touch of near-black on the head. The -antelope's colour is so distinctive and stands out so well against -most backgrounds that it may be classed as an animal with revealing -coloration. - -Two white rump patches flare up during excitement; the crowded and -bristling hairs may be seen at surprisingly long distances. - -Possibly these hairs are also under conscious control. At any rate, -let one or a number on a ridge see an approaching enemy and these -white patches stand out, and the next adjacent flock, even though two -or three miles away, will see the sign--or signal--and also take -alarm. Though the antelope does not do any wireless wigwagging, the -sudden flare of white buttocks is revealing. - -Depending chiefly on speed in escaping his enemies, the antelope has -also the added advantage of being able to detect an enemy while he is -still afar. The plains where he lives enable him to see objects miles -away, and his eyes being of telescopic nature ofttimes enable him to -determine whether a distant moving object is friend or foe. - -It thus is important that an antelope be so marked that another -antelope will recognize him at long range. Each flock of antelope -watches the distant surrounding flocks, and each flock thus mutually -aids the others by acting as an outlying sentinel for it. If a flock -sees an object approaching that may be an enemy it strikes attitudes -which proclaim alarm, and, definitely marked, their actions at once -give eye messages of alarm to all flocks in view and close enough to -make out what they are doing. It would thus seem that the revealing -colours of the antelope have been of help in protecting--that is, -perpetuating, the species. - -The antelope is nervous and is easily thrown into a panic. Though it -is often canny and courageous, it lacks the coolness, the alertness, -and the resourcefulness--that is to say, the quick wit and -adaptability--of the mountain sheep. In the Yellowstone and the Wind -Cave National Parks are numbers of antelope. Many of these have -readjusted themselves to the friendly conditions and have lost most of -their nervousness and fear of man. - -They have a bump of curiosity. I paused one afternoon to talk to a -homesteader on the prairie. He was fencing, and presently commenced -stretching a line of barbed wire. The penetrating squeaks of the wire -reached the ears of several unseen antelope and appealed to their -curiosity. They came close, about the distance from third to home -plate. - -Well might they have shown concern at barbed wire! It has wrought -terrific destruction to the species. - -A generation or so ago it appears to have been easy for the hunter by -displaying a red flag or some partly concealed moving object to rouse -antelope curiosity and to lure numbers. I have repeatedly seen this -trick tried and a few times I have patiently endeavoured with this -appeal to bring a flock within range of my double-barrelled field -glass, but I didn't succeed. They promptly went over the horizon. They -are curious still, but have become wiser. - -I suppose it will never do to reach final conclusions concerning what -an animal will do under new conditions. After a few years of intimate -acquaintance with the plains antelope I visited the Yellowstone -region, thinking that I was well grounded in all antelope habits. One -day I came upon a flock in a deep grassy forest bay in the edge of a -dense woods. Thinking to get close I walked in behind them. To my -amazement they darted into the woods, dodging trees right and left -like lightning, and hurdling fallen trees as readily as any deer or -mountain sheep that I have seen. They well illustrated a phase of -animal behaviour called ecology, or response to environment. - -The pronghorn or antelope is distinctly American. Fossilized antelope -bones have been found in western Nebraska that are estimated to be two -million years old. This antelope family is not related to the African -or Asiatic antelope, nor to any American mammal species; it is alone -in the world. - -Many prehistoric species of animals that lived in the same scenes with -the ancient ancestors of the antelope have been extinct for thousands -of years. The rhinoceros, toothed birds, American horses, ponderous -reptiles, and numerous other species failed to do what the antelope -did--readjust to each radical change and survive. Climatic changes, -new food, strange enemies, uplifts, subsidences, wild volcanic -outpourings, the great Ice Age--over all these the antelope has -triumphed. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE MOUNTAIN LION - - -Raising my eyes for an instant from the antics of a woodchuck, they -caught a movement of the tall grass caused by a crawling animal. This -presently showed itself to be a mountain lion. He was slipping up on a -mare and colt on the opposite edge of the meadow. The easy air that -was blowing across my face--from horse to lion--had not carried a -warning of my presence to either of them. - -I was in Big Elk Park, seated on a rock pile, and was nearly concealed -by drooping tree limbs. Behind me rose the forested Twin Peaks, and -before me a ragged-edged mountain meadow lay in the forest; and across -this meadow the lion crawled. - -The colt kicked up its heels as it ran merry circles round its mother. -This beautiful bay mare, like her colt, was born in unfenced scenes -and had never felt the hand of man. She had marked capability and the -keenness exacted by wilderness environment. - -I watched the bending grass as the lion crept closer and closer. -Occasionally I caught a glimpse of the low-held body and the alert -raised head. The back-pointing, sensitive three-foot tail, as restless -as an elephant's trunk, kept swinging, twitching, and feeling. -Planning before the lion was within leaping distance to warn the mare -with a yell, I sat still and watched. - -The well-developed and ever-alert senses of the mare--I know not -whether it was scent or sight--brought a message of danger. Suddenly -she struck an attitude of concentration and defiance, and the -frightened colt crowded to her side. How capable and courageous she -stood, with arched neck, blazing eyes, vigilant ears, and haughty -tail! She pawed impatiently as the lion, now near, watchful and -waiting, froze. - -Suddenly he leaped forward, evidently hoping to stampede both animals -and probably to seize the separated colt. Instantly the mother -wheeled, and her outkicking heels narrowly missed the lion's head. -Next the lion made a quick side-leap to avoid being stamped beneath -the mare's swift front feet. - -For half a minute the mare and lion were dodging and fighting with all -their skill. A splendid picture the mare made with erect tail and -arched neck as she struck and wheeled and kicked! - -Again and again the lion tried to leap upon the colt; but each time -the mother was between them. Then, watching his chance, he boldly -leaped at the mare, endeavouring to throw a forepaw round her neck -and, at the same instant, to seize and tear the throat with his savage -teeth. He nearly succeeded. - -With the lion clinging and tearing at her head, the audacious mare -reared almost straight on her hind legs and threw herself backward. -This either threw the lion off or he let go. She had her nose badly -clawed and got a bite in the neck; but she was first to recover, and a -kick landed upon the lion's hip. Crippled, he struggled and hurried -tumbling away into the woods, while the bleeding mare paused to -breathe beside the untouched colt. - -The mountain lion is called a puma, catamount, panther, painter, or -cougar, and was originally found all over North America. Of course he -shows variations due to local climate and food. - -The lion is stealthy, exceedingly cunning, and curious in the extreme; -but I am not ready, as many are, to call him cowardly. He does not -have that spectacular rash bravery which dashes into the face of -almost certain death; but he is courageous enough when necessity -requires him to procure food or to defend himself and his kind. He -simply adapts himself to conditions; and these exact extreme caution. - -The mountain lion may be called sagacious rather than audacious. -Settlers in his territory are aware of his presence through his -hogging the wild game and his occasional or frequent killing of colts, -horses, cattle, sheep, and chickens. But so seldom is he seen, or even -heard, that, were it not for his tracks and the deadly evidence of his -presence, his existence could not be believed. - -Though I have camped in his territory for weeks at a time, and -ofttimes made special efforts to see him, the number of lions I have -seen--except, of course, those treed by dogs--is small. - -When a mountain lion is frightened, or when pursued by dogs, he is -pretty certain to take refuge in a tree. This may be a small tree or a -large one. He may be out on a large limb or up in the top of the tree. - -The lion is a fair runner and a good swimmer. Often he has been known -to swim across lakes, or even arms of the sea, more than a mile wide. -And he is an excellent tree climber, and often uses a living tree or a -dead leaning one as a thoroughfare--as a part of his trail system on a -steep mountain side. Twice I have seen him on a near-by limb at night -watching me or my fire. Once I woke in the night and saw a lion upon -two out-reaching tree limbs not more than eight feet above me. His -hind feet were upon one limb, his forefeet upon a lower limb, and he -was looking down, watching me curiously. He remained in this position -for several minutes, then turned quietly, descended the tree on the -opposite side, and walked away into the woods. - -It is probable that lions mate for life. Sometimes they live year -after year in the same den and prowl over the same local territory. -This territory, I think, is rarely more than a few miles across; -though where food is scarce or a good den not desirably located, they -may cover a larger territory. - -Lions commonly live in a den of their own making. This is sometimes -dug in loose sand or soil where its entrance is concealed among -bushes. Sometimes it is beneath a fallen log or a tree root, and in -other places a semi-den, beneath rocks, is enlarged. In this den the -young are born, and the old ones may use it a part of each year, and -for year after year. - -Though occasionally a mother lion may raise as many as five kittens, -rarely does she succeed in raising more than two; and I think only two -are commonly brought forth at a birth. These kittens probably remain -with the mother for nearly a year, and in exceptional cases even -longer. As I have seen either kittens or their tracks at every season -of the year, I assume the young may be born at any time. - -The mountain lion is a big-whiskered cat and has many of the traits -possessed by the average cat. He weighs about one hundred and fifty -pounds and is from seven to eight feet long, including a three-foot -tail. He is thin and flat-sided and tawny in colour. He varies from -brownish red to grayish brown. He has sharp, strong claws. - -Mr. Roosevelt once offered one thousand dollars for a mountain lion -skin that would measure ten feet from tip to tip. The money was never -claimed. Apparently, however, in the state of Washington a hunter did -succeed in capturing an old lion that weighed nearly two hundred -pounds and measured ten and a half feet from tip to tip. But most -lions approximate only one hundred pounds and measure possibly eight -feet from tip to tip. - -The lion eats almost anything. I have seen him catching mice and -grasshoppers. On one occasion I was lying behind a clump of willows -upon a beaver dam. Across the pond was an open grassy space. Out into -this presently walked a mountain lion. For at least half an hour he -amused or satisfied himself by chasing, capturing, and eating -grasshoppers. He then laid down for a few minutes in the sunshine; -but presently he scented something alarming and vanished into the -thick pine woods. - -One evening I sat watching a number of deer feeding on a terrace of a -steep mountain side. Suddenly a lion leaped out, landing on the neck -of one. Evidently the deer was off balance and on a steep slope. The -impact of the lion knocked him over, but like a flash he was upon his -feet again. Top-heavy with the lion, he slid several yards down a -steep place and fell over a precipice. The lion was carried with him. -I found both dead on the rocks below. - -The lion is a master of woodcraft. He understands the varying sounds -and silences of the forest. He either hides and lies in wait or slips -unsuspected upon his victim. He slips upon game even more stealthily -than man; and in choosing the spot to wait for a victim he usually -chooses wisely and, alert waits, if necessary, for a prolonged time. -He leaps upon the shoulders and neck of horse, deer, or sheep, and -then grabs the victim's throat in his teeth. Generally the victim -quickly succumbs. If a lion or lioness misses in leaping, it commonly -turns away to seek another victim. Rarely does it pursue or put up a -fight. - -A friend wished a small blue mule on me. It had been the man's -vacation pack animal. The mule loitered round, feeding on the -abundant grass near my cabin. The first snow came. Twenty-four hours -later the mule was passing a boulder near my cabin when a lion leaped -upon him and throttled him. Tracks and scattered hair showed that the -struggle had been intense though brief. - -Not a track led to the boulder upon which the lion had lain in wait, -and, as the snow had fallen twenty-four or more hours before the -tragedy, he must have been there at least twenty-four hours, and he -may have waited twice as long. - -Another time I frightened a lion from a cliff where he was waiting for -a near-by flock of bighorn sheep to come within leaping distance. -Though it was nearly forty-eight hours since snow had ceased falling, -not a track led to the lion's watching place or blind. - -The lion probably is the game hog of the wilds. Often I have read his -red records in the snow. On one occasion he killed nine mountain sheep -in one attack. He ate a few pounds of one of them and never returned -to the kill. On another occasion he killed eleven domestic sheep in -one night. Inside of twenty-four hours a lion killed a doe, a fawn, a -porcupine, a grouse, and was making a try for a mountain sheep when I -appeared on snowshoes. He seems to prefer colts or horses for food. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _Johnny, My Grizzly Cub_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Echo Mountain Grizzly_] - -Mr. J. A. McGuire, editor of _Outdoor Life_, who has made special -investigations concerning the killings of mountain lions, estimates -that a lion will kill a deer every week if he has the opportunity to -do so. From personal experience I have known him to kill four deer in -a single week. - -On one occasion, when I was hidden and watching the carcass of a deer -which a lion had killed to see what carnivorous animal might come to -the feast, a mountain lion walked quietly and unalertly to it and -commenced to eat. After a few minutes the lion suddenly bristled up -and spat in the direction from which a grizzly bear presently -appeared. With terrible snarling and threatening, the lion held on to -the prize until the grizzly was within a few feet. He then leaped -toward the grizzly with a snarl, struck at it, and dashed into the -woods. The grizzly, without even looking round to see where the lion -had gone, began eating. - -From many experiences I believe that much of the killing of domestic -and wild animals attributed to bears is done by lions. The lion -prefers warm blood and fresh meat for each meal, and will kill daily -if there is opportunity. I have known bears to follow mountain lions -evidently for the purpose of obtaining food. One day I came upon the -recently killed carcass of a cow. Only mountain lion tracks led to it -and from it. The following night I spent at a near-by ranch house, and -the rancher informed me that on the previous day he had discovered a -bear eating the carcass of this cow which he accused the bear of -killing. The lion is a most capable raider of ranches, and colts, -horses, sheep, pigs, and poultry are his prizes. - -In northern New Mexico one day I saw a lion bounding across an opening -carrying a tame sheep in its mouth. On another occasion I saw a lion -carrying off a deer that apparently weighed much more than the lion -itself. The lion appeared to have the deer by the shoulder, and it was -resting on the lion's shoulders in such a way that I do not believe it -touched the ground. - -I suppose when the lion makes a kill in an out-of-the-way place, where -he may eat with comparative safety, he does not take the trouble to -carry or to drag the victim off. Often, of course, the kill is made -for the benefit of the young, and hence must be transported to the -den. - -It is quite true that he will sometimes wander back to his kill day -after day and feast upon it. It is also true, when food is scarce, -that lions will eat almost anything, even though they have nothing to -do with the killing. They have been trapped at the bait that was out -for bears: and so, though a lion prefers blood and warm meat, he will -return to his kill to feast, or, if food is scarce, gladly eat -whatever he can obtain. - -From many observations I judge that after eating he prefers to lie -down for a few hours in some sunny or secluded spot, or on a -many-branched limb generally well up toward the top of the tree but -sometimes not more than ten feet above the earth. - -The lion has extreme curiosity. He will follow travellers for hours if -there is opportunity to keep out of sight while doing so. Often during -long snowshoe trips I have returned over the route first travelled. -Lion tracks in the snow showed that I was repeatedly followed for -miles. In a number of places, where I had taken a long rest, the lion -had crept up close, so that he could easily watch me; and on a few -occasions he must have been within a few feet of me. - -While walking through a forest in the Medicine Bow Mountains I was -startled and knocked down by a glancing blow of a tree limb. This limb -had evidently broken off under the weight of a lion. The lion also -came tumbling down but caught a claw on a limb and saved himself from -striking the earth. Evidently in his curiosity to see me he had leaned -out too far on a weak limb. He fled in confusion, perhaps even more -frightened than myself. - -The mountain lion is not ferocious. Mr. Roosevelt, in summing up its -characteristics, concluded that it would be no more dangerous to sleep -in woods populated with mountain lions than if they were so many -ordinary cats. - -In addition to years of camping in the wilds in all sorts of places -and under all conditions of weather I have talked with careful -frontiersmen, skillful hunters and trappers, and these people -uniformly agreed with what I have found to be true--that the instances -of mountain lions attacking human beings are exceedingly rare. In each -of these cases the peculiar action of the lion and the comparative -ineffectiveness of his attacks indicated that he was below normal -mentally or nearly exhausted physically. - -Two other points of agreement are: Rarely does any one under ordinary -conditions see a lion; and just as rarely does one hear its call. Of -the dozen or more times I have heard the screech of the lion, on three -occasions there was a definite cause for the cry--on one a mother -frantically sought her young, which had been carried off by a trapper; -and twice the cry was a wail, in each instance given by the lion -calling for its mate, recently slain by a hunter. - -During the past thirty years I have investigated dozens of stories -told of lions leaping upon travellers from cliffs or tree limbs, or of -other stealthy attacks. When run down each of these proved to be an -invention; in most cases not a lion or even lion track had been seen. - -Two instances of lion attacks are worth mentioning. One night in -California a lion leaped from a cliff, struck a man, knocked him down, -and then ran away. Out of this incident have come numerous stories of -lion ferocity. The lion was tracked, however, and the following day -the pursuing hunter saw it crossing an opening. It suddenly clawed and -hit at a boulder. Then, going on, it apparently ran into a tree, and -fought that. As it started on the hunter shot it. This beast was badly -emaciated, had a swollen face from an ulcerated tooth, and was nearly, -if not entirely, blind. - -Another instance apparently was of a weak-minded lion. As though to -attack, it came toward a little ten-year-old girl in Idaho. She struck -it over the head with a bridle she was carrying. Her brother hurried -to the rescue with a willow fishing pole. Together they beat the lion -off and escaped with a few bad scratches. Yet had this been a lion of -average strength and braveness he must have killed or severely injured -both. - -The mountain lion rivals the shark, the devilfish, and the grizzly in -being the cause of ferocious tales. The fact that he takes refuge on -limbs as a place of lookout to watch for people or other objects, and -that he frequently follows people for hours through the woods without -their ever seeing him--and, I suppose, too, the very fact that he is -so rarely seen--make him a sort of storm centre, as it were, for -blood-curdling stories. - -Through years I investigated plausible accounts of the ferocity of -mountain lions. These investigations brought little information, but -they did disclose the fact that there are a few types of lion tales -which are told over and over again, with slight local variations. -These tales commonly are without the slightest basis of fact. They are -usually revamped by a clever writer, a frightened hunter, or an -interesting story teller, as occasions offer. One of the commonest of -the oft-told tales that have come to me through the years is as -follows: - -"Late Saturday evening, while Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were returning from -the village through the woods, they were attacked by a half-starved -mountain lion. The lion leaped out upon them from brush by the -roadside and attempted to seize Mr. Simpson. Though an old man, he put -up a fight, and at last beat off the lion with the butt of the buggy -whip." - -Sometimes this is a family and the time of day is early morning. -Sometimes the lion is ferocious instead of half-starved. Sometimes it -is of enormous size. Once in a while he leaps from a cliff or an -overhanging tree limb. Generally he chews and claws someone up pretty -badly, and occasionally attempts to carry off one of the children. - -Many times my letter addressed to one of the party attacked is -returned unclaimed. Sometimes my letter to the postmaster or the -sheriff of the locality is returned with the information: "No such -party known." Now and then I ask the sheriff, the postmaster, or the -storekeeper some questions concerning this attack, and commonly their -replies are: "It never happened"; "It's a pipe dream"; "A pure fake"; -or "Evidently whoever told you that story had one or two drinks too -many." - -One day I came out of the woods in the rear of a saw-mill. I was -making my way to the living room of the place, between logs and lumber -piles. Right round the corner of a slab heap I caught sight of a -mountain lion just as it leaped at me. It missed me intentionally, and -at once wheeled and rose up to play with me. In the two or three -seconds that elapsed between the time I had my first glimpse of it and -when I realized it was a pet I had almost concluded that, after all, a -lion may be a ferocious animal. - -On one occasion, when I was on a cliff at the edge of a grassy -opening, I was astonished to see a coyote trot leisurely across and -just before he disappeared in the woods a lion appear on the opposite -side of the opening, following contentedly along the trail of the -coyote. The next day I again saw this friendly pair, but on this -occasion the lion was leading and the coyote following. Afterward I -saw their tracks a number of times. - -Just why they were associated in this friendly manner we can only -conjecture. It will be readily seen that the coyote, which has all the -wisdom of a fox, might follow a game-hog lion about and thus, with -little effort, get a substantial and satisfactory food supply. But why -the lion should willingly associate with a coyote is not quite clear. -Perhaps this association proved to be of some advantage to the lion in -his killing, or it may have been just one of those peculiar, -unaccounted-for attachments occasionally seen between animals. - -In any discussion concerning the mountain lion, or, for that matter, -any living animal, hardly can the last word be said concerning the -character of the individual of the species. Individuals vary, and now -and then a mountain lion, as well as a human being, shows marked and -peculiar traits. These may be the result of unusual alertness and -sheer curiosity, or they may be subnormal, and cruel or murderous. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -FAMINE IN BEAVER-LAND - - -Cold weather came one fall before my new beaver neighbours had laid in -their winter's food. They had harvested one food supply several miles -down stream but a fierce forest fire had devastated the region while -they were in the midst of their preparations for winter and left their -home site unliveable. The beavers in a body started off to found a new -colony, having the hardships and adventures that ever fall to -pioneers. - -The place selected for their new home was on a tributary stream not -far from my cabin. Here they built a typical house of sticks, sod, and -mud. The stream ran through an old glacier meadow partly overgrown -with forest. One side carried a belt of pines. Beyond the pines was a -ragged and extensive growth of quaking aspen. Up stream the mountain -rose steeply to the summit of Mt. Meeker. - -While the beavers were working on a dam which was to give them ample -water in the pond to prevent its freezing to the bottom, a trapper -came into the region. He lingered and broke and rebroke the dam three -or four times. When he finally left, autumn was half gone and -preparations for winter in the new colony were only well begun. The -dam was still low and uncompleted. As yet they had not begun cutting -and storing aspen for their winter's food supply. - -These beavers had been industrious. They had planned well. But it was -a case of one misfortune quickly following another. A severe cold wave -still further and seriously handicapped the harvest gathering of the -colonists. The quieter reaches of the stream were frozen over and a -heavy plating of ice was left on the pond. They would have difficulty -transporting their food-cut aspens under such conditions. - -Winter supplies for this colony--green aspen or birch trees--must be -had. Ordinarily, beavers cut the trees most easily obtained: first -those on the shore of the pond, then those up stream, and finally -those on near-by, down-hill slopes. Rarely does a beaver go fifty feet -from the water. But if necessary he will go down stream and float -trees against the current, or drag trees up steep slopes. This pond -did not have, as is common, a border of aspen trees. - -Late October I visited this new wilderness home. In the lower end of -the frozen pond was a two-foot hole in the ice. This had been gnawed -by the beavers, but for what purpose I could not then imagine. - -One crew of loggers had started to work in a grove about two hundred -feet from the hole in the ice. They were cutting aspens that were -about four inches in diameter and twelve feet high. But before -dragging them to the pond an opening or trailway through the woods had -been cleared. Every bush in the way was cut off, every obstructing log -cut in two and the ends rolled aside. - -Dragging their tree cuttings to the pond was slow, hard work, and it -was also dangerous work for a slow-moving beaver to go so far from the -water. A beaver is heavy bodied and short-legged. With webbed hind -feet he is a speedy swimmer, but on land he is a lubber and moves -slowly and with effort. - -A few days later the purpose of the hole in the ice of the frozen pond -was made plain. A freshly swept trail in the snow led to it out of the -woods. The beavers were taking their green aspen cuttings through the -hole into the pond for their winter's food. They had begun storing -winter food at last. - -I followed the trail back to where a number of aspens had been cut. -Their stumps were about fifteen inches above the snow. Two trees still -lay where they fell. These were about six inches in diameter and -perhaps twenty feet long. Preparatory to being dragged to the pond -they had been gnawed into sections of from three to six feet. - -The beavers had not nearly finished their harvesting when a heavy fall -of snow came and they were compelled to abandon their carefully made -dragway and the aspen grove where they had been cutting. The nearest -aspens now available were only sixty feet from the edge of the pond. -But a thick belt of pines and a confusion of large, fallen, -fire-killed spruce logs lay between the pond and this aspen grove. - -Deep snow, thick pines, and fallen logs did not stop their -harvest-gathering efforts. Tracks in the snow showed that they went to -work beyond the belt of pines. During one night five beavers had -wallowed out to the aspens, felled several and dragged them into the -pond. But wolves appeared to realize the distress of the beavers. They -lurked about for opportunities to seize these hunger-driven animals. -While harvesting the aspen grove wolves had pounced upon one of the -beavers at work and another on his way to the pond had been pursued, -overtaken, and killed in the deep snow. - -During three days of good weather which followed, ever watchful for -wolves, the beavers cut few aspens. Then came another snowstorm. The -work of harvesting winter supplies was still further hindered. - -But beavers never give up. To obtain aspens which were to supply them -with winter food they finally dug a tunnel. They began this on the -bottom of the pond near the shore and dug outward toward the aspen -grove. The tunnel was about two feet under the surface for fifteen -feet. From this point it inclined upward and came out under a pine -tree, close to the aspens. In only the last few feet, where the -digging was through frozen ground, was there difficult digging of this -tunnel. Apparently the thick carpet of fallen leaves and the deep snow -checked the frost and the earth had not frozen deeply. - -From the end of this tunnel the beavers cleared a dragway about -eighteen inches wide to the aspen grove. In doing this they cut -through three or four large logs and tunnelled under a number of -others. Then aspens were felled, cut in short sections, dragged to the -end of the tunnel, pushed through this out into the pond beneath the -ice, and finally piled on the bottom of the pond close to the house. - -Solid snowdrifts formed in the grove while this slow work of -transportation was going on. A few aspens were cut from the top of a -five-foot snowdrift. The following summer these stumps suggested that -prehistoric beavers--large as bears--had reappeared on earth. - -At last cold, ice, snow, and enemies completely stopped the beavers' -harvest gathering. The food provided for the colony's winter supply -was less than one half that needed. But the beavers had done their -best, and come what may, they would alertly, stoically meet it. - -These colonists had a hard winter. I visited them a number of times. -Now and then snow covered the frozen pond, but usually the wind in -sweeping down the open-stream avenue through the woods left the ice -clear. One day, looking through the clear ice of the pond, I counted -six beavers, but on most occasions I was able to see only one or two. -The population of this colony probably numbered twelve or fifteen. - -The upper part of the area flooded by their pond had been a -semi-swampy tract bearing thick growths of water-loving plants. The -roots of sedge, bulbs of lilies, tubers of many plants, and long juicy -roots of willow and alder were made use of by these beavers facing a -food-shortage. - -I supposed it was only a question of time before they would be shut -off by the thick ice from this root supply. But they dug a deep -waterway--a canal about two feet wide and nearly as deep--from the -house in the centre of the pond to the heart of the rooty area. Even -after most of the pond was frozen to the bottom they had an open line -of communication with the root supplies. - -Mutual aid is a factor in beaver life. I do not know how many days' -work this ditch required; but when one of the beavers in a colony -work, all work. Since late summer these beavers had worked at one task -after another; they had unitedly worked for the welfare of each member -of the colony. With mutual aid beaver colonists achieve much in a -short time. Their strong love for home, causing them to remain long in -one place, and the peculiar work which this calls for, makes changes -on earth sometimes enduring for centuries. - -But they had only commenced to dig out the roots on the bottom of the -pond when the ever-thickening ice froze over this life-saving food -supply. The water would have been deeper over this area but the -beavers' early hard luck had prevented their building the dam as high -as it should have been. - -I do not know how they handled the food-shortage, whether or not they -went on short rations. But no beaver had more than his portion, for -beavers are coöperators, they work in common, and so long as the food -supply lasts each has his share. - -I had glimpses of the beavers' eager digging through the clear spots -in the ice. They tore the root-filled section to pieces and devoured -all that it contained. But not until the following summer, when the -broken dam released the water, did I realize how deeply and completely -the bottom of the pond had been stirred and ploughed. I have seen -gardens uprooted by hogs, and mountain meadows dug to pieces by -grizzly bears, but neither of them equalled this. - -The supply of roots ran out and the bark of the green aspens was eaten -off, and still this mountain region was white with winter and the pond -locked and sealed with ice. Beavers are strict vegetarians. There were -trout in the pond, but these were not caught; nor were the bodies of -the starved ones eaten, as sometimes occurs among other animals. The -beavers must escape from their now foodless prison or perish. - -Spring examinations which I made indicated that they had tried to -escape through the long tunnel which had been made to obtain the -aspens, but this had nearly filled with ice. They had then driven -several feet of a new tunnel, but evidently found they could not -accomplish it through the frozen, gravelly earth. Beavers are -engineers--the handling of earth in building dams or in the making of -canals is as much in their line as tree felling--but cutting and -tunnelling through gravelly, frozen earth is near impossible for -them. - -They then attempted to cut a hole upward through the two feet of ice, -as I found out later when the ice was breaking up. And they had almost -succeeded. On the edge of their house they had raised a working -foundation of mud and sticks and gnawed upward to within three or four -inches of the surface. Beavers are expert gnawers and have been known -with their powerful teeth and strong jaws to gnaw off and fell trees -more than two feet in diameter. Perhaps they might have succeeded -eventually, but they apparently found another and better way out of -the pond. - -What they finally did was to tunnel out through the unfrozen earth -beneath the bottom of the dam. They had commenced on the bottom of the -pond and driven a fifteen-inch tunnel nearly level through the base of -the dam, and a foot or two beneath the water and below frostline. This -came out in the ice-covered stream channel, beneath the frozen earth. -As this tunnel had to be dug under water, it must have been slow work -and to have constantly called for relay efforts. When a working beaver -had to breathe it was necessary for him to swim to the house and climb -up to the floor, above water level, in order to obtain air. - -Tracks of six muddy-footed fellows on the snow at the outer end of the -successful tunnel told the number who survived the winter's -food-shortage. Spring came, and warmth and flood water broke up the -ice on the pond about a month after they escaped. No young beavers -were seen. These surviving beavers lived in bank holes along the -stream until summer. Then they wandered away. Late that August they, -or six other beavers, came to the place. They completed the dam and -repaired the house, and by mid-October had a huge pile of food stored -in the pond for the winter. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -DOG-TOWN DIGGINGS - - -About thirty years ago a cowboy took me out to see "The big Dog-town." -This metropolis was in the heart of the great plains near the -Kansas-Colorado line. For five hours we rode westward along the -southern limits of the town. It extended on over the horizon more than -two miles wide and about forty miles long. A town with a population of -two million! - -Its visible inhabitants would have astounded a census-taker or a -dog-catcher. Thousands of prairie dogs were yipping and barking more -than sixty times a minute, and stub tails were whizzing away at the -same time. We rode out among the crowded and protesting dogs and -stopped to watch them. A number ducked into their holes. - -Around each hole was an earthy collar less than two feet across and -four or five inches high. At a distance this earthy collar surrounding -the hole had the appearance of a low mound. Evidently this mound is to -keep out storm water. - -There were thousands of these holes, each with its dog. One near-by -dog sat up on his mound like a ten-pound sea lion. He watched us with -concentrated attention. His tongue and tail were still. When my hat -started toward him he simply dropped into the hole. There were -scattered holes which had a rabbit or two little owls at its doorway. -Throughout the town were little orchards of dwarfed sagebrush and a -scattering of tall weeds. A showy bed of prickly pear cactus inside -the town limits was not inhabited. - -The prairie dog is a sun worshipper. He keeps aloof from localities -where willows are an enemy-hiding screen and where trees cast a -shadow. His populous cities are in arid lands where for three hundred -days each year they have their place in the sun. - -The dogs seemed to be ever moving about, visiting or barking. A young -dog near me ambled over to visit another. These two called on a third -and while in session were joined by one's, two's, and companies until -there were several dozen massed. - -A young dog left his hole-top after a survey and started off for a -call. But he turned aside to join and mingle with the crowd for a -minute or two, then went on with his call. All this time there were -several dogs behind me energetically protesting at or about -something. Cheerfulness and vivacity characterized this fat, numerous -people, but they were always alert, and commonly maintained sentinels -scattered throughout the town. - -While numbers were visiting or playing a few were feeding. They -appeared to feed at all times of the day. But I do not believe that -they eat half the food of the average woodchuck. The short grass was -the principal food. They also ate of the various weeds around. I do -not recall seeing them eat the bark of sagebrush or any part of the -prickly pear. - -Prairie dogs must materially assist in soil formation. Their digging -and tunnelling lets dissolving water and disintegrating air into the -earth and deepens the prairie soil. - -The congesting population in time increases the soil supply. In places -and for a time this new soil seems to be helpful in increasing the -food supply, but after a time in many towns food becomes scarce. Food -scarcity causes movement. I have heard that the entire population of a -dog town, like an entire species of migrating birds, will leave the -old town and trek across the plains to a site of their liking. - -A generation ago the prairie dog population must have exceeded two -hundred millions. It was scattered over the great plains and the -rocky region from the Canadian line to Mexico. - -Dog towns are dry towns. My cowboy friend had repeated to me what -everyone thus far had told him: - -Prairie dogs dig down to water. - -Prairie dogs, snakes, and owls all use the same den. - -The water supply of dog towns and also their congested life so -interested me that I visited a number of them to study the manners and -customs of these citizens. - -For two months not a drop of rain had fallen in Cactus Center. Not a -bath nor a drink had the dogs enjoyed. I hurried into the town -immediately after a rain thinking the dogs might be on a spree. I had -supposed they would be drinking deeply again and swimming in the -pools. But there was no interest. I did not even see one have a drink, -although all may have had one. A few dogs were repairing the -levee-crater rim of their holes, but beyond this things went on as -usual. The rain did not cause dog town to celebrate. - -On a visit to the "Biggest dog town in the world," near the Staked -Plains in Texas, and where there were dogs numbering many millions, I -watched well drillers at a number of places. Several of these wells, -in the limits of dog town, struck water at three hundred feet, none -less than this depth. This told that dogs did not dig down to water. -They are busy diggers and have five claws on each foot but they do not -dig through geological ages to obtain water. - -One day two cowboys came along with a shovel which was to be used in -setting up a circular corral and I excited their interest in prairie -dog dens. We made the dirt lively for two hours but we did not reach -bottom. I examined old and new gullies by dog towns but learned -nothing. Finally, a steam shovel revealed subterranean secrets. - -This steam shovel was digging a deep railroad cut through a dog town. -The dogs barked and protested, but railroads have the right of way. -The holes descended straight and almost vertically into the earth to -the depth of from ten to fourteen feet. From the bottom a tunnel -extended horizontally for from ten to forty feet. There was a pocket -or side passage in the vertical hole less than two feet below the top: -and a number of pockets or niches along the tunnel with buried -excrement in the farther end of the tunnel. The side niches were used -for sleeping places and side tracks. There was a network of connecting -tubes between the vertical holes and communicating tunnels between the -deeper tunnels. - -I found the underground works of the dogs similar in other railroad -cuts. None of the holes reached water, in fact, they were extra dry in -the bottom. - -Prairie dogs in common with many species of plants and animals of the -arid districts require and use but little water. Dogs do without water -for weeks except such moisture as is obtained from plants eaten. A -part of each year the plants are about as dry as dog biscuit. - -There were from a few dozen to a thousand dogs upon or in an acre; -from a few holes to more than one hundred in an area the size of a -baseball diamond. - -Although the plains had numerous large and populous places there were -leagues without a single dog. Apparently the dogs keep on the higher -and the well-drained land. - -One day I watched some fat, happy puppies amusing themselves. They -played, but without much pep, while mothers remained near to guard and -to admire. - -Prairie dogs often play. But never, I think, alone like the grizzly. -In groups and in hundreds they played the universal game of tag. They -were fat and low-geared and their running gallop made an amusing -effort to get somewhere. There were several boxing exhibitions, or -farces. Their fat bodies and extremely short legs and slow, awkward -movement made their efforts more ludicrous even than those of fat men -boxers. There was a kind of snake dance with entangled countermarching -in which most dogs tried to be dignified while many acted as though in -new company and did not know what was expected of them. - -One of their plays consisted in a single dog mimicking a stranger or -an enemy. A bunch of dogs acted as spectators while an old dog highly -entertained them by impersonating a coyote, at least his exhibition -reminded me very much of coyote. The old dog imitated the coyote's -progress through dog town, with the usual turning, looking, smelling, -and stopping. He looked into holes, rolled over, bayed at the heavens, -and even tried the three-legged gallop. During most of his stunts the -spectators were silent but toward the last he was applauded with -violent cursings and denunciation--at least so it sounded. A number of -other folks were imitated, but just who they were my natural history -and the actor's presentation gave no clue. Apparently the skunk was -imitated. The actor's interpretation was good. The congested audience -watched him closely, with now and then a yip, but mostly in silence. - -But sometimes there are less peaceful scenes in dog town. A dog town -without a coyote would be like Hades without Mephistopheles. - -The prairie dog likes to keep close to his hole, or to the hole of a -neighbour into which he can duck and escape the surprise raids of the -coyote. - -The coyote stalks patiently, hiding until a dog comes close or is too -far from his hole to outrun the coyote to it. Coyotes hunt in pairs or -fours and often while one, two, or three of them are holding the -attention of the dogs the other coyote makes a sudden dash. Sometimes -they take sheer delight in stirring up things in congested corners of -dog town. - -As I stood watching them, screened by the cottonwood, two coyotes -crossed the corner of dog town and set it all agog. While these -coyotes made their way leisurely through dog town the dogs sat on -their crater-like mounds and uttered rapid-fire protests, ready to -drop into safety in case of a rush by the coyotes. Suddenly two old -dogs wheeled and yapped at highest rattling speed. While the first -pair of coyotes was attracting attention a second pair appeared. The -old dogs violently denounced the second pair for this surprise. But -the coyote is ever doing the unexpected. - -On the outskirts of Cactus Center numerous pairs of coyotes had -enlarged prairie dog holes for a den. Pairs of prairie owls occupied -other deserted dog holes, rabbits possessed many, and two were taken -by skunk families. - -The black-footed ferret is the terrible enemy of prairie dogs. This -small, agile, powerful fellow boldly invades the dens and slays the -dog, rabbit or other inmates. The dogs do not appear even to attempt -to resist him. But apparently he does not often call. - -The mixed population of dog towns is not at peace. Lizards, rabbits, -dogs, owls, snakes congest in the same block, but the block is red in -tooth and claw. In a few cases I noticed these warring species all -used the same subway entrance, but below the surface they surely lived -in separate apartments. - -No, the rattlesnake, prairie dog, and owl do not lie down together, -unless a flood or other calamity throws them together. - -One time I was approaching a town limits where yelpings and yappings -filled the sky like a wind. From the summit of the ridge treeless, -houseless, fenceless plains extended in leagues of level distances to -every horizon. Before me there must have been one hundred thousand -dogs swarming like the inhabitants of a disturbed ant hill. Beside a -lone and grizzled old cottonwood I explored localities of dog town -through my glasses. - -Cloud shadows were sliding in silence across the green plains in -which the golden banner bloomed like broken yellow coral. A cottontail -hopped slowly from his hole to a clump of Spanish bayonet; buzzing -gnats and bees hummed by. Grasshoppers all jumping toward the town -limits suggested that they were abandoning the congested town. - -Suddenly there were two disturbances: Near me an old dog was set upon -by a protesting, noisy mob of dogs, while off on my left an invading -rattlesnake threw a locality into a frenzy of excitement. - -Apparently dogs aim to bury alive all enemies and invaders. The -frightened rattler was pursued by a screeching, noisy dog mob, and -driven into a dog hole. While two or three dogs kept watch of this, -other dogs were looking into or wildly watching other dog holes which -the snake might reach through underground tunnels. - -Out of one of these holes he glided and at him went the yapping, -snapping dog mob. Down into another hole he ducked. Evidently the dogs -realized that this hole was detached, and the dogs fell over each -other with efforts to claw earth into it. Presently the hole was -filled to the collar and the snake buried. On this filled hole the -dogs danced with weird and uncanny glee. - -The other dog mob evidently rough handled the outcast dog but I -missed most of this in watching the snake mob. It, too, was a -vehement, noisy mob. The wise old dog refused to go into a hole but -was literally jammed in, with earth clawed in after him until the hole -was filled, then another barbaric, triumphal war dance upon the buried -one. - -Rattlesnakes eat young dogs and sometimes boldly enter the dens for -them during the mother's absence. - -But what was the offense of the old dog which had been attacked by his -fellows? Was it crime or misdemeanour? Had he been misunderstood, or -was it a case of circumstantial evidence? In other dog towns I have -seen the populace putting one of their number to death, and in this -town, about two years later, I saw two dogs entombed by the same wild -mob. In this case even the sentinels forgot the coyote and joined the -mob. Were the executed ones murderers, robbers, or had they denied -some ancient and unworthy superstition and like reformers paid the -penalty of being in advance of popular opinion? - -One afternoon Cactus Center had a storm. Black clouds suddenly covered -the sky and a storm swept the prairie. A barrage of large hailstones -led, striking the prairie violently at an angle so sharp that stones -bounded and rolled for long distances. One which struck me in the -side felt like a thrown baseball. There was a thumping, deep roar -while they dashed meteorically down. - -Dog town watched the hail but was deserted before the first raindrop -fell. The downpour lasted for several minutes with a plentiful -accompaniment of crashing of lightning. - -A deep sheet of water swept down from the prairie beyond the town -limits to the west, where the rainfall was a cloudburst. The sheet of -water overspread the town and temporarily filled hundreds of the -inhabited dens. - -Out came the sputtering, protesting dogs. Numbers, perhaps hundreds, -were drowned. Across the soaked prairie I hurried, catching the -effects and the movements. I pulled several gurgling dogs from their -water-filled holes, each of them making nip-and-tuck efforts to climb -out. - -The following morning a pair of coyotes slipped up the invading gully -trench into town. Occasionally these crafty fellows peeked over the -bank. Then they crept farther in, and one peeped from a screen of -sagebrush on the bank. Suddenly both dashed out and each killed two -dogs. The entire village howled and yapped itself hoarse while the -invaders feasted within the town limits. Leisurely the coyote at last -moved on through the town turning aside to sniff at the drowned dogs. - -One spring I called early in Cactus Center and found blackbirds, -robins, and other northbound birds among the visitors. Among these was -a flock of golden plover, one of the greatest of bird travellers. -These birds were resting and feeding. They probably were on their way -from the far South American plains, to their nesting ground on the -treeless grassland around the Arctic Circle. - -During an early summer visit to this dog town it was decorated with -wild flowers--sand lilies, golden banner, creamy vetch, and prickly -poppy. I wandered about in the evening twilight looking at the evening -star flowers while a coyote chorus sounded strangely over the wide, -listening prairie. Near me was a dog hole; its owner climbed up to -peep out; in a minute or so he retired without a bark or a yap. - -The magnificent visible distances of the plains seem to create a -desire in its dwellers to see everything that is going on around. And -also a desire for sociability, for herds. Buffalo crowded in enormous -herds, the antelope were sometimes in flocks of thousands, and the -little yellow-brown dogs crowded and congested. - -The old cottonwood tree which stood on one edge of Cactus Center -dog-town limits was the observed of all observers. Through the years -it must have seen ten thousand tragedies, comedies, courtships, plays, -and games of these happy little people of the plains. - -No dog hole was within fifty feet of the old cottonwood tree. The tree -probably offered the wily coyote concealment behind which he sometimes -approached to raid; and from its top hawks often dived for young dogs, -for mice, and also for grasshoppers. I suppose owls often used it for -a philosophizing stand, and also for a point of vantage from which to -hoot derision on the low-down, numerous populace. - -But the old tree was not wholly allied with evil, and was a nesting -site for orioles, wrens, and bluebirds. From its summit through the -summer days the meadow lark with breast of black and gold would send -his silvery notes sweetly ringing across the wide, wide prairie. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY - - -A grizzly bear's tracks that I came upon had the right forefoot print -missing. - -The trail of this three-legged bear was followed by the tracks of two -cubs--strangely like those of barefooted children--clearly impressed -in the snow. These tracks were only a few hours old. - -Hoping to learn where this mother grizzly and her cubs came from I -back-tracked through the November snows in a dense forest for about -twenty miles. This trail came out of a lake-dotted wooded basin lying -high up between Berthoud Pass and James Peak on the western slope of -the Continental Divide. The three-legged mother grizzly was leaving -the basin, evidently bound for a definite, far-off place. Her tracks -did not wander; there had been no waste of energy. A crippled bear -with two cub children and the ever-possible hunter in mind has enough -to make her serious and definite. - -But the care-free cubs, judging from their tracks, had raced and -romped, true to their play nature and to youth. The mother's tracks -showed that she had stopped once and looked back. Possibly she had -commanded the cubs to come along, but it is more than likely that she -had turned to watch them. Though ever scouting for their safety and -perhaps even now seeking a new home, yet she probably enjoyed their -romping and with satisfaction had awaited their coming. - -I had gone along reading the story these bears had written in the snow -without ever thinking to look back. The following morning I realized -that this grizzly may have been following me closely. - -I spent that night with a prospector from whom I learned many things -of interest concerning this three-legged grizzly. Truly, she was a -character. She had lived a career in the Berthoud Pass Basin. - -Only a few weeks before, so the prospector told me, a trapper had -captured one of her cubs and nearly got the grizzly herself. A grizzly -bear is one of the most curious of animals. In old bears this constant -curiosity is supplemented and almost always safeguarded by extreme -caution. But during cubhood this innate curiosity often proves his -misfortune before he has learned to be wary of man. - -The trapper, in moving camp, had set a number of small traps in the -camp rubbish. He felt certain that if a bear with cubs should be -prowling near, the cubs on scenting the place would rush up to -investigate before they could be restrained by the mother. There would -be little to rouse her suspicion, she doubtless having smelled over -many abandoned camp sites, and she, too, might be trapped. - -One of this grizzly's three cubs was caught. She and the two other -cubs were waiting with the trapped one when the trapper came on his -rounds, but at his appearance they made off into the woods. The -trapper set a large steel trap and left the trapped cub as a decoy. - -The mother bear promptly returned to rescue the trapped cub. In her -excited efforts she plunged her right forefoot into the large trap. -Many grizzlies appear to be right-handed, and her best hand was thus -caught. An old grizzly is seldom trapped. But this bear, finding -herself caught, did the unusual. She gnawed at the imprisoned foot to -get away, and finally, at the reappearance of the trapper, tore -herself free, leaving a foot behind her in the trap. She fled on three -feet, driving the two cubs before her. - -Then, though crippled, she returned that same night to the scene where -the cub was trapped. Not finding it she followed the scent to the -miner's cabin, in which the cub was chained. Here she charged one of -the dogs so furiously that he literally leaped through the window into -the cabin. The other dogs set up a great to-do and the three-legged -bear made off into the woods. As soon as her leg healed she apparently -left Berthoud Pass Basin on the trail which I had discovered, and set -off like a wide-awake, courageous pioneer to find a new home in a more -desirable region. - -A miner came to the prospector's cabin before I had left the next -morning and told the story of her attempted rescue of the cub during -the preceding night. She had left her two cubs in a safe place and -evidently returned to rescue her third trapped cub. She went to the -miner's cabin where the captured cub had been kept. The dogs gave -alarm at her presence and the miner going out fired two shots. She -escaped untouched and straightway started back to the other cubs. - -This so interested me that I decided to trail her from the basin. -After following her fresh trail for about three miles this united with -the trail she had made in leaving the basin--the trail which I had -back-tracked the day before. Travelling about ten miles, beyond where -I had first seen the trail the day before, I came to a cave-like place -high up on the side of Echo Mountain. Here she had left the cubs the -night before. Tracks showed that she was then in the cave with them. I -did not disturb them, but I did revisit their territory again and -again. - -In this cave they hibernated that winter. It was a roomy, natural cave -formed by enormous rock fragments that had tumbled together at the -base of a time-worn cliff. The den which the grizzly and cubs used the -first winter was not used again, nor were their later hibernating -places discovered. - -The grizzly's new domain was about thirty miles to the northward of -her former wilderness home. It was a wild, secluded region between -Echo Mountain and Long's Peak. - -Grizzlies often explore afar and become acquainted with the unclaimed -territory round them, and it is possible that this mother grizzly knew -the character of the new home territory before emigrating. There was -an abundance of food in the old home territory, but it is possible -that she had lost former cubs there and it is certain that she had -been shot at a number of times. However, the change may have been -simply due to that wanderlust which sometimes takes possession of the -ever-adventurous grizzly. In the eventful years which followed she -showed tireless energy and skill. Though badly crippled, she still -maintained those qualities which mean success for the survival of the -species--the ability to make a living, the postponing of death, and -the production of offspring. - -The Echo Mountain grizzly had individuality and an adventurous career. -This heroic grizzly mother might be called an emigrant or an exile, or -even a refugee. Though crippled, she dared to become a pioneer. All -that men learned of her eventful life was a story of struggles and -triumphs--the material for the biography of a character. - -The next July a camper in following the track of a snowslide came upon -a three-legged mother grizzly and two cubs. They were eating the -carcass of a deer that was just thawing from the snow and débris -brought down by the snowslide. The grizzly was nearly white, one cub -was brown, and the other dark gray. - -As the camper went on with his burro he noticed the bear watching him -from among trees across a little glacier meadow. He camped that night -on a small stream at the foot of an enormous moraine a few miles from -the place where he had seen the bear. Returning from picketing the -burro he chanced to glance at the skyline summit of the moraine. Upon -it the three-legged bear stood watching him. She was looking down with -curious interest at his tent, his campfire, and the burro. Surely this -crippled grizzly was living up to the reputation of the species for -curiosity. A moment later she disappeared behind a boulder. With his -field glasses he could still see her shadow. This showed her standing -behind the boulder with her one forepaw resting against it and peeping -from behind it. - -That autumn a trapper out for pine martens saw the Echo Mountain -grizzly and her cubs. He reported her a great traveller; said that she -ranged all over her large and rugged Rocky Mountain territory. Her -tracks were seen on the summit of the range and she occasionally -visited the other side of the divide. Perhaps she felt that an -intimate knowledge of the region was necessary for a crippled bear in -meeting emergencies. This knowledge certainly would be valuable to her -in making her living and a marked advantage if pursued. - -This rugged scenic mountain wilderness now is a part of the Rocky -Mountain National Park. It must have been a wonderland for the -childlike cubs. In the lower part of this territory are a number of -moraines, great hills, and ridges covered with grass and dotted with -pines. There are many poetic beaver ponds. The middle slopes are black -with a spruce forest and cut with a number of cañons in which clear -streams roar. Up at eleven thousand feet the forest frays out with -dwarfed and storm-battered trees. Above this the summit of the Rockies -spreads out under the very sky into a moorland--a grassy Arctic -prairie. Here, in places, big snowdrifts lie throughout the summer. To -these timberline drifts, when fringed with flowers, the mother and the -cubs sometimes came. The stains of their tracks upon the snow showed -that the cubs sometimes rolled and scampered over the wasting drifts. -They often waded in beaver ponds, swam in the clear lakes, played -along the summit of ridges while the mother was making a living; and -they often paused, too, listening to the sounds of the winds and -waters in the cañons or looking down into the open meadows far below. - -Stories of this large, handsome, nearly white Echo Mountain grizzly -reached trappers more than one hundred miles away. During the several -years through which I kept track of her a number of trappers tried for -the bear, each with his own peculiar devices. They quickly gave it up, -for in each case the bear early discovered the trap--came close to it -and then avoided it. - -But finally an experienced old trapper went into her territory and -announced in advance his determination to stay until he got the Echo -Mountain grizzly. He set a steel trap in the head of a little ravine -and placed a cake of half-burned, highly scented honey just beyond the -trap. The mother and the cubs came, and apparently she had had a hard -time making them sit down and wait until she examined the trap. To the -amazement of the trapper she had climbed down the precipitous rocks -behind the trap and procured the honey without passing over the trap. - -Knowing that she was in the lower part of her territory, he one day -set three large traps in three narrow places on the trail which she -used in retreating up the mountain. The uppermost of these he set in -the edge of the little lake at the point where she invariably came out -of the water in crossing it. He then circled and came below her. Away -she retreated. The first trap was detected two or three leaps before -she reached it. Turning aside, she at once proceeded to the summit of -the range over a new route. The following day the trapper was seen -moving his outfit to other scenes. - -Two near-by ranchers tried to get the bear by hunting. The latter part -of September they invaded her territory with dogs. The second day out -the dogs picked up her trail. She fled with the yearling cubs toward -the summit of the range over a route with which she was familiar. -Pausing at a rugged place she defied the dogs for a time, the cubs -meanwhile keeping on the move. She continued her retreat at a -surprising speed for a three-legged bear. The thin snow covering -indicated that she ran at something of a gallop, making long, lunging -leaps. - -About a mile beyond her first affray with the dogs the mother swam -with the cubs across a small mountain lake and paused in the willows -on the farther shore. Two of the dogs swam boldly after them. Just -before they reached the farther shore this daring mother turned back -to meet them and succeeded in killing both. One of the other dogs had -made his way round the lake and audaciously charged the cubs in the -willows. They severely injured him but he made his escape. On went the -bears. The hunters reached the lake and abandoned pursuit. - -The next year another hunt with hounds was launched. There were a -dozen or more dogs. The cubs, now more than two years old, were still -with the mother. The hounds started them on the slope of Echo -Mountain. They at once headed for the heights. After a run of three or -four miles they struck their old route, retreated as before, and again -swam the lake, but continued their way on up the range. - -At timberline there were clusters of thickly matted, low-growing -trees with open spaces between. Closely pressed, the bears made a -stand. Unfamiliar with timberline trees, two of the dogs in dodging -the bears leaped into the matted growths. With feet half entangled -they were caught by the bears before they could make the second quick -move. The mother bear killed one dog with a single stroke of her -forepaw and the cubs wrecked the other. The mother and cubs then -charged so furiously that the remaining dogs retreated a short -distance. Mother and cubs turned and again fled up the slope. - -The hounds were encouraged by the near-coming men again to take up -pursuit. It was nearly night when the bears made another stand on the -summit, where they beat off the dogs before the hunters came up. They -then made their way down ledges so rocky and precipitous that the dogs -hesitated to follow. Descending two thousand feet into the forest of -Wild Basin on the other side of the range, they escaped. Evidently the -mother grizzly had planned this line of retreat in advance. - -About a month later I saw the Echo Mountain grizzly on the -western side of the range, in her home territory. She was ever -alert--stopping, looking, listening, and scenting frequently. Often -she stood up the better to catch the wireless scent messages. Though -vigilant, she was not worried. She was even inclined to play. While -standing on her hind feet she struck at a passing grasshopper with her -one forepaw, but she missed. Instantly, while still standing, she -struck playfully this way and that, wheeling entirely about as she -struck the last time. - -From her tracks I noticed that she had been ranging over the middle -and lower slopes of her territory, eating elderberries and -choke-cherries below and kinnikinick and wintergreen berries in the -higher slopes. Once, when I saw her rise up suddenly near me, there -were elder bush tops with red berries dangling from them in her mouth. -After a brief pause she went on with her feast. Having only one -forefoot, she was evidently greatly handicapped in all digging -operations and also in the tearing to pieces of logs. Bears frequently -dig out mice and small mammals and overturn rotten logs and rip them -open for the ants and grubs which they contain. - -The last year that I had news concerning the Echo Mountain grizzly she -was seen with two young cubs on the shore of a beaver pond a few miles -southwest of Grand Lake. Berry pickers saw her a few times on Echo -Mountain and her tracks were frequently seen. - -In the autumn a Grand Lake hunter went out to look for the Echo -Mountain grizzly. He had a contempt for any man who pursued big game -with dogs and was sarcastic in his condemnation of the two sets of -hunters who had failed with dogs to procure a three-legged bear. He -condemned everyone who used a trap. But the skill of this grizzly in -escaping her pursuers had gone forth, and being a bear hunter he had a -great desire to procure her. - -He took a pack horse and several days' provisions and camped in the -heart of her territory. He spent two days getting acquainted with her -domain and on the third day, shortly after noon, came upon her trail -and that of her cubs descending to the lower part of her territory. He -trailed for several miles and then went into camp for the night. Early -the next day he set off again. He was a painstaking and intelligent -stalker and succeeded in approaching at close range to where the bears -were eating the tops off raspberry bushes. They either saw or scented -him and, as he circled to get closer, retreated. They went down the -mountain about two miles, using the trail they had tracked in the snow -climbing up. - -But in a ravine below they abruptly left their old trail, turned -southward, climbed to the summit of a ridge, and travelled eastward, -evidently bound for the summit of the range. The hunter also hurried -up a ridge toward the top, his plan being to intercept the bears at a -point above the limits of tree growth, where the ridge he was on -united with the ridge to which the bears had retreated. He travelled -at utmost speed. - -Just before he reached the desired point he looked across a ravine and -down upon the summit of the parallel ridge. Sure enough, there were -the bears! The cubs were leading, the mother bear limping along, -acting as rear guard. Apparently she had injured her remaining -forefoot. She climbed a small rock ledge to the summit, stood up on -hind feet and looked long and carefully back down the ridge along -which they had just travelled. While she was doing this the cubs were -playing among the scattered trees. The mother grizzly rejoined the -cubs and urged them on before her along the ridge. At every opportune -place she turned to look back. - -The wind was blowing up the slope. The hunter had hidden in a rock -ledge just above the treeline and was thus awaiting the bears where -they could neither see nor scent him. - -Presently they emerged from among the storm-dwarfed and battered trees -out upon the treeless mountain-top moorland. Up the slope they started -along a dim, wild life trail that passed within an easy stone toss of -the hunter. The mother, limping badly, finally stopped. The cubs -stopped, looked at her, then at each other, and began to play. - -The mother rose on her hind feet. Instantly the cubs stopped playing -and stood up, looking silently, seriously at the mother, then at every -point toward which she gazed. Looking down the slope she sniffed and -sniffed the air. - -Holding the only remaining and crushed forepaw before her she looked -it over intently. It was bleeding and one toe--nearly severed--hung -loosely. The paw appeared to have been crushed by a falling rock. With -the cubs watching her as she licked the wounded foot, the hunter made -ready and drew bead just below the ear. - -The shadow of a passing cloud rushed along the earth and caused the -cubs to cease their serious watching of their mother and to follow -with wondering eyes the ragged-edged shadow skating up the slope. The -hunter, close enough to see the blood dripping from the paw, shifted -slightly and aimed for the heart. Then, as he flung his rifle at a -boulder: "I'll be darned if I'll kill a crippled mother bear!" - -THE END - - - THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS - GARDEN CITY, N. 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Mills - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Watched by Wild Animals - -Author: Enos A. Mills - -Release Date: March 21, 2013 [EBook #42381] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42381 ***</div> <div class="figcenter"> <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="400" height="521" alt="" /> @@ -8509,382 +8471,6 @@ and Rocky Mountain National Park</span><br /> <span class="smcap">Your National Parks</span></p> </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Watched by Wild Animals, by Enos A. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Watched by Wild Animals - -Author: Enos A. Mills - -Release Date: March 21, 2013 [EBook #42381] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - - - BOOKS BY ENOS A. MILLS - ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE - THE GRIZZLY, OUR GREATEST WILD ANIMAL - IN BEAVER WORLD - ROCKY MOUNTAIN WONDERLAND - STORY OF A THOUSAND-YEAR PINE - WILD LIFE ON THE ROCKIES - STORY OF ESTES PARK, GRAND LAKE, AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - STORY OF SCOTCH - SPELL OF THE ROCKIES - WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS - WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - YOUR NATIONAL PARKS - - [Illustration: - _(C)1905, by John M. Phillips_ - _The Rocky Mountain Goat_] - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - -BY ENOS A. MILLS - - - ILLUSTRATED FROM - PHOTOGRAPHS AND FROM - DRAWINGS BY WILL JAMES - - GARDEN CITY, N.Y., AND TORONTO - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - 1922 - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY - - DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION - INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, 1917, 1918, 1919, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY - IN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN - - COPYRIGHT, 1920, 1921, BY THE SPRAGUE PUBLISHING COMPANY - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY SUBURBAN PRESS - - COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY FIELD AND STREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY THE FRANK A. MUNSEY COMPANY - - - PRINTED AT GARDEN CITY, N. Y., U. S. A. - - - _First Edition_ - - - TO - ESTHER AND ENDA - - - - -PREFACE - - -In the wilds, moving or standing, I was the observed of all observers. -Although the animals did not know I was coming, generally they were -watching for me and observed me without showing themselves. - -As I sat on a log watching two black bears playing in a woods opening, -a faint crack of a stick caused me to look behind. A flock of mountain -sheep were watching me only a few steps distant. A little farther away -a wildcat sat on a log, also watching me. There probably were other -watchers that I did not see. - -Animals use instinct and reason and also have curiosity--the desire to -know. Many of the more wide-awake species do not run panic-stricken -from the sight or the scent of man. When it is safe they linger to -watch him. They also go forth seeking him. Their keen, automatic, -constant senses detect him afar, and stealthily, sometimes for hours, -they stalk, follow and watch him. - -In the wilderness the enthusiastic, painstaking and skillful observer -will see many wild folks following their daily routine. But, however -fortunate he may be, numerous animals will watch him whose presence he -never suspects. - - * * * * * - -Parts of the chapters in this book have appeared in the _Saturday -Evening Post_, the _American Boy_, _Field and Stream_, _Munsey's_ and -_Countryside_. Acknowledgment is hereby made to the editors of these -magazines for granting permission to reprint this material. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT 1 - II. THE HAYMAKER OF THE HEIGHTS 16 - III. INTRODUCING MR. AND MRS. SKUNK 31 - IV. THE PERSISTENT BEAVER 47 - V. THE OTTER PLAYS ON 60 - VI. THE BIGHORN IN THE SNOW 72 - VII. THE CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES 84 - VIII. THE BLACK BEAR--COMEDIAN 98 - IX. ON WILD LIFE TRAILS 113 - X. REBUILDING A BEAVER COLONY 126 - XI. THE WARY WOLF 141 - XII. WINTER WAYS OF ANIMALS 158 - XIII. PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS 175 - XIV. THE MOUNTAIN LION 189 - XV. FAMINE IN BEAVER-LAND 205 - XVI. DOG-TOWN DIGGINGS 215 - XVII. ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY 229 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT _Frontispiece_ - FACING PAGE - GOAT-LAND 20 - A WILD CAT 36 - BEAR FEET 36 - A BLACK BEAR 37 - ANTELOPE 37 - A BEAVER HOUSE AND WINTER FOOD SUPPLY 68 - A BEAVER HOUSE IN THE FIRST SNOW 68 - COYOTE--CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES 69 - A BEAVER CANAL 84 - A NEW BEAVER DAM 84 - THE MOUNTAIN LION 85 - THE PRAIRIE DOG 116 - THE CONY 116 - LOOKING FOR SMALL FAVOURS 117 - MOUNTAIN LION 132 - BIGHORN MOUNTAIN SHEEP 133 - A WILD LIFE TRAIL CENTRE 180 - MY DEPARTING CALLER 181 - JOHNNY, MY GRIZZLY CUB 196 - ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY 197 - - - - -WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT - - -As a flock of wild goats wound in and out among the crevasses and -crossed the slender ice bridges of a glacier on Mount Rainier they -appeared for all the world like a party of skillful mountain climbers. - -Not until I had studied them for a few seconds through my field -glasses did I realize that they were goats. There were twenty-seven of -them, nannies, billies, and kids, strung out in a crooked line, single -file. Once safely across this glacier they lingered to look round. The -kids played, the old goats had friendly bouts, and one or two couples -scratched each other. After a delay of more than an hour they set off -round the mountain and I followed. - -While crossing another ice slope they were suddenly subjected to a -severe bombardment. A number of large rock fragments crashed down the -steep slope, bounding, hurtling, and ripping the air with terrific -speed. The goats were directly in the path of the flying stones, which -for a number of seconds bounded over them and struck among them. A -small stone struck an old billy on the shoulder and knocked him -sliding for some distance. When he regained his feet his shoulder -appeared to be broken. Though making every effort to control himself, -he continued to slide and presently tumbled into a crevasse. He caught -with his good fore foot on the ice and clung for a second, made one -desperate attempt to push himself back and almost succeeded, and then -fell into the crevasse and disappeared. - -A few of the flock watched him, but most of them stood with their -heads up the slope facing the wildly bounding stones. None of them -ran; there was no confusion, no panic. It was, perhaps, safer for the -goats to stand still, thus presenting the smallest target for the -flying stones, than to rush forward or to retreat in the midst of the -bombardment, for the rocks were coming down both in front and behind -them. At any rate, the goat is a wise fellow, and this flock probably -had experienced rock fire before. When it was all over the bearded old -leader started forward with the rest again following. - -Until recently most goats lived in localities rarely visited either -by Indians or by white hunters. As a result, when first shot at they -were not excited and were slow to run away. This procrastination of -the goat while under fire, together with his supremely crude outlines -and slow, awkward actions, led most early hunters and trappers to call -him a stupid animal. But he is not at all stupid. Evidence of his -alertness and mental development is shown in his curiosity and in his -ability to readjust himself promptly to new dangers. - -In localities where he was unacquainted with man the goat apparently -made no effort to guard against enemies or to use sentinels. But -promptly after the coming of hunters and long-range rifles he became -extremely wary and sought look-out resting places of safety and had -sentinels on duty. He is thoroughly wide-awake at all times. When -surprised in close quarters he shows no confusion or panic, and -retreats in a masterly manner. If one route of retreat is blocked he -starts for another without losing his head. If finally cornered, he -makes a stand. - -Hunters and dogs cornered an old billy near me in the head of a -glacial cirque, in what is now the Glacier National Park. The goat -made his stand on slide rock at the bottom of a precipitous wall. He -watched for an opportunity to escape, and made one or two himself. -The dogs surged round him. He leaped at one, and with a remarkably -quick move of head struck and impaled him on his sharp horns; with a -twisting upward toss of the head he ripped and flung him to his death. -In rapid succession he killed three dogs. The fourth dog was tossed -entirely over a precipice. At this the other dogs drew off. - -Finding himself free, the goat did a little desperate rock work to -gain a ledge, along which he safely climbed. He stepped accurately, -and though the ledge was narrow and covered with small stones there -was no slipping and only a few stones fell. The goat defied and -defeated this pack of dogs so coolly and easily that I could believe, -as I had been told, that he is more than a match for a black bear. - -I have never heard of a goat showing any symptoms of fright or fear. -Fear with him appears to be a lost trait. It is possible that such a -trait may have been detrimental to life in the daily dangers of icy -summits and through evolution was long ago eliminated. The goat is -decidedly philosophical, makes every movement, meets every emergency -with matter-of-fact composure. In all times of danger, and even when -dying, he retains mastership of his powers. A mother with a kid, -retreating and heroically fighting off dogs while doing so, impressed -me with goat spirit. At last cornered, she kept up the fight, -remaining on her feet after she had been struck by several bullets. - -The goat often does not die nor does he surrender for some time after -receiving a number of fatal wounds, but fights on with telling -effectiveness. I imagine he will absorb as many or more bullets, and -temporarily survive as long, as any animal in existence. He has the -vitality of the grizzly bear. Mountain goats, as the cowboy said of -the western horse thieves, "take a lot of killing." - -This same day I saw a number of goats abreast coming head foremost -down a nearly vertical smooth wall; they had complete composure. They -appeared to be putting on brakes with hoofs and dew claws. Loose -stones which they occasionally started might have been serious or -fatal for one in the lead had they been descending single file. As -soon as they reached a ledge at the bottom they stopped to look round, -and one of them stood up on hind toes to eat moss from an overhanging -rock. Two near-by goats of another flock were limping badly. Possibly -they had been struck by flying stones, or they may have been injured -by a fall. These two accidents appear to be the ones most likely to -befall this or any other mountain climber. - -The white Rocky Mountain goat really is the wild mountain climber. Of -all the big animals or the small ones that I know, none can equal him -in ascending smooth and extremely precipitous rock walls. That -mountain climbing organization of the Pacific Coast which calls itself -"Mazama," meaning mountain goat, has an excellent title and one -peculiarly fitting for mountain climbers on the icy peaks of the -Northwest. - -Like all good mountain climbers the goat is sure-footed and has feet -that are fit. His stubby black hoofs have a dense, rubbery, resilient -broad heel. The outer shell of the hoof is hard, but I think not so -hard as the hoofs of most animals. - -One season in Alaska I came close upon a party of seven mountain goats -in the head of a little canyon. I supposed them cornered and, advancing -slowly so as not to frighten them unduly, I thought to get close. They -at once made off without any excitement. At a moderate pace they -deliberately proceeded to climb what might be called a smooth, -perpendicular wall. It leaned not more than ten or twelve degrees from -the vertical. There were a few tiny root clusters on it and here and -there a narrow ledge. After a short distance the goats turned to the -right, evidently following a cleavage line, and climbed diagonally for -two hundred feet. They went without a slip. Most of the time they were -climbing two abreast; occasionally they were three abreast. Each, -however, kept himself safely away from the others. As they approached -the top they climbed single file, old billy leading. - -This last climb proved to be the most ticklish part of the ascent. The -one leading stood on hind toes with breast pressed close against the -cliff and reached up as far as he could with fore feet. He felt of the -rocks until he found a good foothold and clinging place, then putting -his strength into fore legs literally drew up his body. His hind feet -then secured holds and held all gained. Again and again he stood on -his toes and reached upward, caught a foothold, and pulled himself up. -Just before going over the skyline he reached up with front feet, but -apparently found no secure place. He edged along the wall a foot or -two to the left and tried, but not satisfied with what he found, edged -several feet to the right. Here, squatting slightly, he made a leap -upward, caught with his fore hoofs, drew himself up, and stood on the -skyline. After two or three seconds he moved on, faced about, and -closely watched the others. Each goat in turn, daringly, slowly, and -successfully followed his precipitous course. - -John Burroughs says that a fox is a pretty bit of natural history on -legs. The mountain goat is just the reverse. I have never seen a big -animal which, both in outline and action, is so much the embodiment of -stiffness and clumsiness, just block-headed, lumbering wood sections. -The fox is alert, keen, quick, agile, slender, graceful, and deft, and -looks all these parts. - -The goat is a trifle smaller than the mountain sheep. The weight of a -full-grown male is about two hundred and fifty pounds. He has a heavy -body, high shoulders, and retiring hind quarters; he somewhat -resembles a small buffalo. His odd head is attached to a short neck -and is carried below the line of the shoulders. He has a long face and -an almost grotesque beard often many inches long. The horns are nearly -black, smooth, and slender. They grow from the top of the head, curve -slightly outward and backward for eight or ten inches, and end in a -sharp point. The horns of both sexes are similarly developed and are -used by both with equal skill. The goat's hair, tinged with yellow but -almost white, is of shaggy length. - -In running he is not speedy. His actions are those of an overfat, -aged, and rheumatic dog. He appears on the verge of a collapse. Every -jump is a great effort and lands far short of the spot aimed at. -Nearly all graceful movements were omitted in his training. Nearly all -the actions of this woodeny fellow suggest that a few of his joints -are too loose and that most of the others are too tight. He gets up -and lies down as though not accustomed to working his own levers and -hinges. - -Many times I have seen a goat trying in an absurd, awkward manner, -after lying down, to remove bumps or stones from beneath him. Holding -out one or more legs at a stiff angle, he would claw away with one of -the others at the undesired bump. Sometimes he would dig off a chunk -of sod; other times a stone or two would be dislodged and pushed out. -It seems to be a part of his ways and his habits not to rise to do -this, or even to seek a better place. However, an acquaintance with -his home territory gives one a friendly feeling for him. After seeing -him composedly climbing a pinnacle, apparently accessible only to -birds, one begins to appreciate a remarkable coordination of head and -foot work. - -Although the goat appears clumsy he is the animal least likely to -slip, to stumble, to miss his footing or to fall. While the mountain -sheep perhaps excels him in zigzag drop and skip-stop down precipitous -places, nothing that I have seen equals the wild goat when it comes to -going up slopes smooth and almost vertical. His rock and ice work are -one hundred per cent efficient. - -When it comes to what you may call durability the goat is in the front -ranks. He can climb precipices and pinnacles all day long and in every -kind of weather. When not otherwise engaged he plays both on roomy -levels and unbanistered precipice fronts. He is ever fit, always -prepared. From the view-point of many hunters the grizzly bear, the -mountain sheep, and the mountain goat are almost in a class by -themselves. They exact a high standard of endurance and skill from the -hunter who goes after them. - -These wild white goats are found only in the mountains of northwestern -United States, western Canada, and Alaska where the majority live on -high mountain ranges above the timberline. The goat is a highlander. -Excepting the few along the northwest coast which come down to near -sea level, they live where a parachute would seem an essential part of -their equipment. - -Many high mountains are more storm-swept than the land of the Eskimo. -Storms of severity may rage for days, making food-getting impossible. -But storms are a part of the goat's life; he has their transformed -energy. He also has his full share of sunshine and calm. Though up -where winter wind and storm roar wildest, he is up where the warm -chinook comes again and again and periods of sunshine hold sway. He is -fond of sunshine and spends hours of every fit day lying in sunny, -sheltered places. - -During prolonged storms goats sometimes take refuge in cave-like -places among rock ledges or among the thickly matted and clustered -tree growths at timberline. But most of the time, even during the -colder periods of winter, when the skyline is beaten and dashed with -violent winds and stormed with snowy spray, the goat serenely lives on -the broken heights in the sky. Warmly clad, with heavy fleece-lined -coat of silky wool, and over this a thick, long, and shaggy overcoat -of hair, he appears utterly to ignore the severest cold. - -The goat thus is at home on the exacting mountain horizon of the -world. Glaciers are a part of his wild domain; cloud scenery a part of -his landscape. He lives where romantic streams start on their -adventurous journeys to mysterious and far-off seas; arctic flowers -and old snow fields have place in the heights he ever surveys; he -treads the crest of the continent and climbs where the soaring eagle -rests. The majority of goats are born, live, and die on peak or -plateau above the limits of tree life. - -The goat distinctly shows the response of an animal to its -environment. Of course an animal that can live among canyons, ice, and -crags must be sure-footed, keen-eyed, and eternally wide-awake. He -must watch his step and watch every step. Again and again he travels -along narrow ridges where dogs would slide off or be blown overboard; -he lives in an environment where he is constantly in danger of -stepping on nothing or sliding off the icescape. Certain habits and -characteristics are exacted from the animal which succeeds on the -mountain tops. The goat's rock and ice climbing skill, his rare -endurance, and his almost eternal alertness all indicate that he has -lived in this environment for ages. His deadly horns and his -extraordinary skill in using them show that at times he has to defend -himself against animals as well as compete with the elements. - -Commonly the Rocky Mountain goat lives in small flocks of a dozen or -less, and his home territory does not appear to be a large one. Local -goats of scattered territories make a short, semi-annual migratory -journey and have different summer and winter ranges, but this appears -to be exceptional. They feed upon the alpine plants, dwarfed willows, -and shrubby growths of mountain slopes and summits. They may also eat -grass freely. - -Bighorn sheep also live above the timberline. In some localities they -and the goat are found together. But sheep make occasional lowland -excursions, while goats stay close to the skyline crags and the -eternal snows, descending less frequently below the timberline except -in crossing to an adjoining ridge or peak. Among the other -mountain-top neighbours of the goat are ground squirrels, conies, -weasels, foxes, grizzly bears, lions, ptarmigan, finches, and eagles; -but not all of these would be found together, except in a few -localities. - -The goat, in common with all the big, wide-awake animals that I know -of, has a large bump of curiosity. Things that are unusual absorb his -attention until he can make their acquaintance. A number of times -after goats had retreated from my approach, and a few times before -they had thought to move on, I discovered them watching me, peeping -round the corner of a crag or over a boulder. While thus intent they -did not appear to be animals with a place in natural history. - -In crossing a stretch of icy slope on what is now called Fusillade -Mountain, in Glacier National Park, I sat down on the smooth steep -ice to control my descent and bring more bearing surface as a brake on -the ice. I hitched along. Pausing on a projecting rock to look round, -I discovered two goats watching me. They were within a stone's toss. -Both were old and had long faces and longer whiskers, and both were -sitting dog fashion. They made a droll, curious appearance as they -watched me and my every move with absolute concentration. - -I do not know how long the average goat lives. The few hunters who -have been much in the goat's territory offer only guesses concerning -his age. One told me that he had shot a patriarchal billy that had -outlived all of his teeth and also his digestion. The old fellow had -badly blunted hoofs and was but little more than a shaggy, -skin-covered skeleton. - -Although his home is a healthful one, the conditions are so exacting -and the winter storms sometimes so long, severe, and devitalizing, -that it is probable that the goat lives hardly longer than twelve or -fifteen years. - -The goat is, I think, comparatively free from death by accidents or -disease. Until recently, when man became a menace, he had but few, and -no serious, enemies. Being alert and capable among the crags, and in -defense of himself exceedingly skillful with his deadly sharp horns, -he is rarely attacked by the lion, wolf, or bear. True, the kids are -sometimes captured by eagles. - -There are a number of species of wild goats in the Old World--in -southern Europe, in many places in Asia and in northern Africa. The -white Rocky Mountain goat is the only representative of his species on -our continent. He is related to the chamois. Some scientists say that -this fellow is not a goat at all, but that he is a descendant of the -Asiatic antelope, which came to America about half a million years -ago. This classification, however, is not approved by a number of -scientists. The Rocky Mountain goat, _Oreamnos montanus_, is in no way -related to the American antelope, and it would take a post-mortem -demonstration to show the resemblance to the African species. - -By any other name he would still be unique. Dressed in shaggy, baggy -knickerbockers, he is a living curiosity. I never see one standing -still without thinking of his being made up of odds and ends, of a -caricature making a ludicrous pretense of being alive and looking -solemn. And then I remember that this animal is the mountaineer of -mountaineers. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE HAYMAKER OF THE HEIGHTS - - -The first time I climbed Long's Peak I heard a strange, wild cry or -call repeated at intervals. "Skee-ek," "Ke-ack," came from among the -large rocks along the trail a quarter of a mile below the limits of -tree growth. It might be that of bird or beast. Half squeak, half -whistle, I had not heard its like. Though calling near me, the maker -kept out of sight. - -A hawk flew over with a screech not unlike this mysterious "Skee-ek." -I had about decided that it was dropping these "Ke-acks" when a -rustling and a "Skee-ek" came from the other side of the big rock -close by me. I hurried around to see, but nothing was there. - -This strange voice, invisible and mocking like an echo, called from -time to time all the way to the summit of the peak. And as I stood on -the highest point, alone as I supposed, from somewhere came the cry of -the hidden caller. As I looked, there near me on a big flat rock sat a -cony. He was about six inches long and in appearance much like a -guinea pig; but with regulation rabbit ears he might have passed for a -young rabbit. His big round ears were trimmed short. - -Rarely do I name a wild animal--it does not occur to me to do so. But -as he was the first cony I had seen, and seeing him on top of Long's -Peak, I called him almost unconsciously, "Rocky." - -Rocky raised his nose and head, braced himself as though to jump, and -delivered a shrill "Ke-ack." He waited a few seconds, then another -"Skee-ek." I moved a step toward him and he started off the top. - -That winter I climbed up to look for a number of objects and wondered -concerning the cony. I supposed he spent the summer on the mountain -tops and wintered in the lowlands. But someone told me that he -hibernated. At twelve thousand feet I heard a "Skee-ek" and then -another. An hour later I saw conies sitting, running over the rocks, -and shouting all around me--more like recess time at school than -hibernating sleep. - -One of these conies was calling from a skyline rock thirteen thousand -feet above the sea. I walked toward him, wondering how near he would -let me come. He kept up his "Skee-eking" at intervals, apparently -without noticing me, until within ten or twelve feet. Then he sort of -skated off the rock and disappeared. This was the nearest any cony, -with the exception of Rocky on the top of Long's Peak, had ever let me -come. His manner of getting off the rock, too, instead of starting -away from me in several short runs, made me think it must be Rocky. - -The American cony lives on top of the world--on the crest of the -continent. By him lives also the weasel, the ptarmigan, and the -Bighorn wild sheep; but no other fellow lives higher in the sky than -he; he occupies the conning tower of the continent. - -But what did these "rock-rabbits" eat? They were fat and frolicking -the year around. - -The following September I came near Rocky again. He was standing on -top of a little haystack--his haystack. All alone he was working. This -was his food supply for the coming winter; conies are grass and hay -eaters. A hay harvest enables the cony to live on mountain tops. - -Rocky's nearly complete stack was not knee-high, and was only half a -step long. As I stood looking at him and his tiny stack of hay, he -jumped off and ran across the rocks as fast as his short legs could -speed him. A dozen or so steps away he disappeared behind a boulder, -as though leaving for other scenes. - -But he came running back with something in his mouth--more hay. This -he dropped against the side of the stack and ran off again behind the -boulder. - -I looked behind the boulder. There was a small hay field, a ragged -space covered with grass and wild flowers, surrounded with boulders -and with ice and old snow at one corner. Acres of barren rocks were -all around and Long's Peak rose a rocky crag high above. - -Back from the stack came the cony and leaped into the field, rapidly -bit off a number of grass blades and carrying these in his mouth raced -off for the stack. The third time he cut off three tall, slender plant -stalks and at the top of one a white and blue flower fluttered. With -these stalks crosswise in his teeth, the stalks extending a foot each -side of his cheeks, he galloped off to his stack. - -Many kinds of plants were mixed in this haystack. Grass blades, short, -long, fine, and coarse; large leaves and small; stalks woody and -stalks juicy. Flowers still clung to many of these stalks--yellow -avens, alpine gentians, blue polemonium, and purple primrose. - -The home of Rocky was at approximately 13,000 feet. The cony is found -over a belt that extends from this altitude down to 9,500. In many -regions timberline splits the cony zone. In this zone he finds ample -dwelling places under the surface between the rocks of slides and -moraines. - -Conies appear to live in rock-walled, rock-floored dens. I have not -seen a cony den in earth matter. With few exceptions all dens seen -were among the boulders of moraines or the jumbled rocks of slides. -Both these rock masses are comparatively free of earthy matter. Dens -are, for the most part, ready-made. About all the cony has to do is to -find the den and take possession. - -In the remains of a caved moraine I saw parts of a number of cony dens -exposed. The dens simply were a series of irregularly connected spaces -between the boulders and rock chunks of the moraine. Each cony appears -to have a number of spaces for sleeping, hay-stacking, and possibly -for exercise. One cony had a series of connected rooms, enough almost -for a cliff-dweller city. One of these rooms was filled with hay, and -in three others were thin nests of hay. - -These dens are not free from danger. Occasionally an under-cutting -stream causes a morainal deposit to collapse. Snowslides may cover a -moraine deeply with a deposit of snow and this in melting sends down -streams of water; the roof over cony rooms leaks badly; he vacates. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Frank Palmer_ - _Goat-land_] - -Slide rock--the home of the cony--frequently is his tomb. All cliffs -are slowly falling to pieces, and occasionally a clinging mass -weighing hundreds and possibly thousands of tons lets go and down the -slide rock it tumbles, bounding, crushing, and tearing. The conies -that escape being crushed come out peeved and protesting against -unnecessary disturbances. - -One day while crossing the heights there came a roaring and a crashing -on the side of a peak that rose a thousand feet above the level of the -plateau. A cloud of rock dust rose and filled the air completely for -several minutes. As the echoes died away there were calls and alarmed -cries of conies. Hastening to the bottom of a slope of slide rock I -found scattered fragments of freshly broken rocks. A mass had fallen -near the top of the peak and this had crashed down upon the long slope -of slide rock, tearing and scattering the surface and causing the -entire slope of a thousand feet or more to settle. I could hear a -subdued creaking, groaning, and grinding together, with a slight -tumble of a fragment on surface. - -This slide had been temporarily changed into a rock glacier--a slow, -down-sliding mass of confused broken rocks. Its numerous changing -subterranean cavities were not safe places for conies. - -Numbers of conies were "Skee-eking" and scampering. Weasels were -hurrying away from the danger zone. Possibly a number of each had been -crushed. - -The conies thus driven forth probably found other dens near by, and a -number I am certain found welcome and refuge for the night in the dens -of conies in undisturbed rocks within a stone's throw of the bottom of -the slide. - -The upper limits of the inhabited cony zone present a barren -appearance. Whether slide or moraine, the surface is mostly a jumble -of rocks, time-stained and lifeless. But there are spaces, a few -square feet, along narrow ledges or in little wind-blown or -water-placed piles of soil, which produce dwarfed shrubs, grasses, and -vigorous plants and wild flowers. - -Dried food in the form of hay is what enables the cony to endure the -long winters and to live merrily in the very frontier of warm-blooded -life. In this zone he lives leisurely. - -Rocky placed his haystack between boulders, beneath the edge of the -big flat rock on which he sat for hours daily, except during haymaking -time. As soon as the stack was dry he carried the hay down into his -underground house and stacked it in one or more of the rock-walled -rooms. It appears that all cony stacks are placed by the entrance of -the den, and in as sheltered a spot as possible. Rocky cut and -stacked his hay during September, then early October I saw him -carrying it underground. - -These cony haystacks were of several sizes and many shapes. The -average one was smaller than a bushel basket. I have seen a few that -contained twice or even three times the contents of a bushel. - -There were rounded haystacks, long and narrow ones, and others of -angular shape. But few were of good form, and the average stack had -the appearance of a wind-blown trash pile, or a mere heap of dropped -hay. Invariably the stack was placed between or to the leeward of -rocks; evidently for wind protection. - -One stack in a place was the custom. But a number of times I have seen -two, four, and once five stacks in collection. Near each stack -collection was an equal number of entrances to cony dens. - -But little is known concerning the family life of the cony. Nor do I -know how long the average cony lives. A prospector in the San Juan -Mountains saw a cony frequently through four years. I had glimpses of -Rocky a few times each year for three years. During the second summer -one of his ears was torn and the slit never united. Just how this -happened I do not know. - -All conies that I saw making hay were working alone. But there were -five conies at work in one field. One of these haymakers was lame in -the left hind foot. Each haycutter carried his load off to his stack. -One stack was thirty steps from the field; the one of the lame fellow, -fortunately, was only eight steps. - -The cony is a relative of the rabbit, the squirrel, the beaver, and -the prairie dog. Although he has a home underground, he spends most of -his waking hours outdoors. Above ground on a rock he sits--in the -sunshine, in cloud, and even in the rain. - -Except during harvest, or when seeking a new home, he works but -little. Much of the time he simply sits. On a rock that rises two feet -or more above the surrounding level he sits by the hours, apparently -dreaming. - -By the entrance of Rocky's den lay a large, flat slab of granite, -several feet long. This was raised upon boulders. He stacked his hay -beneath the edge of this outreaching slab and upon the slab he spent -hours each day, except in busy haymaking time. - -With back against his rock, without a move for an hour or longer, he -would sit in one spot near his den. Now and then he sent forth a call -as though asking a question, and then gravely listened to the -responses of far-off conies. Occasionally he appeared to repeat a -call as though relaying a message from his station. Many of these -"Skee-eks" may at times be just common cony talk, while others, given -with different speeds and inflections, sometimes are quick and -peculiarly accented, and probably warn of possible danger or tell of -the approach of something harmless. - -One spring day I came by Rocky's place and he was not in sight. I -waited long, then laid my sweater upon his slab of granite and went on -to the home of another cony. On returning Rocky was home. Like a -little watch dog he sat upon the sweater. - -Another time in June he was out in the hay meadow eating the short -young plants. I stood within ten feet of him and he went on eating as -though he did not know I was there. Occasionally he called "Ke-ack" -that appeared to be relayed to far-off conies. He did not seem to be -watching me but the instant I moved he darted beneath a rock out of -sight. - -Conies are shy wherever I have found them, and I found many in places -possibly not before visited by people. - -Rocky's nearest cony neighbour was more than two hundred feet away -across the boulders. During a winter visit to him I found cony tracks -which indicated that these two conies had exchanged calls. - -The cony appears something of a traveller, something of an explorer. A -number climb to the summit of the nearest peak during the summer and -occasionally one goes far down into the lower lands. - -A few times I have seen them as explorers on top of Long's Peak and -other peaks that rise above 14,000 feet; and occasionally a cony comes -to my cabin and spends a few days looking around, taking refuge, and -spending the nights in the woodpile. My cabin is at 9,000 feet, and -the nearest cony territory is about a mile up the mountainside. - -One snowy day, while out following a number of mountain sheep, I -passed near the home of Rocky and turned aside hoping to see him. -Before reaching his rock I saw a weasel coming toward me with a limp -cony upon his shoulder and clutched by the throat. The weasel saw me -and kept on coming toward me, and would, I believe, have brushed by. -He appeared in a hurry to take his kill somewhere, probably home. - -I threw a large chunk of snow which struck upon a rock by him. He fell -off the rock in scrambling over the snow. But he clung to the cony and -dragged it out of reach beneath a boulder. - -No fur or blood was found on Rocky's rock nor on any of the rocks -surrounding his den. Possibly the cony carried by the weasel was -another cony. Just what may have become of Rocky I cannot be sure. -Possibly he was crushed by the settling of the rock walls of his -house; a fox, eagle, or weasel may have seized him. But at any rate, I -never saw him again that I know of, and that autumn no busy little -haymaker appeared in the meadow among the boulders. - -The weasel is the most persistent and effective enemy of the cony. -Evidently he is dreaded by them. Bears, lions, coyotes, foxes, and -eagles occasionally catch a cony; but the weasel often does. The -weasel is agile, powerful, slender bodied, and can follow a cony into -the smaller hiding places of the den and capture him. During winter he -is the snow-white ermine, and in white easily slips up over the snow -unseen. He can outrun, outdodge a cony, and then, too, he is a trained -killer. From the weasel there is no escape for the cony. - -During winter rambles in cony highlands I occasionally discovered a -stack of hay on the surface. Most stacks are moved into the dens -before winter is on. - -When a stack is left outside it commonly means that either the stack -is exceptionally well sheltered from wind and snow, and in easy and -safe reach of the cony, or else the little owner has lost his -life--an avalanche or other calamity forced him to leave the locality. - -One sunny morning I set off early on snowshoes to climb high and to -search for the scattered cony haystacks among the rocks on the side of -Long's Peak. A haystack sheltered against a cliff was found at -timberline. By it was the fresh track of a bighorn ram. He had eaten a -few bites of the hay. No other part of the stack had been touched. -Around were no cony tracks in the snow. The stack had the appearance -of being incomplete. Had a lynx or other prowler captured the haymaker -in the unsheltered hayfield? Evidently the owner or builder had not -been about for weeks. A slowly forming icicle almost filled the unused -entrance to the cony den. - -Against the bottom of one large slide of rock was a grassy meadow of a -few acres which during summer was covered with a luxuriant growth of -grass and wild flowers. Three big stacks of hay stood at the bottom of -this slide in a stockade of big rock chunks. The hay was completely -sheltered from the wind; from the rich near-by hayfield the stack had -been built large. Close to the stacks three holes descended into cony -dens. - -Had these three near neighbour conies worked together in cutting, -carrying, and piling these three stacks? They were separated by only -a few inches and had been cut from one near-by square rod of meadow. -But it is likely that each cony worked independently. - -Far up the mountainside I found and saw an account of a cony adventure -written in the snow. In crossing a barren snow-covered slide I came -upon cony tracks coming down. I back-tracked to see where they came -from. - -A quarter of a mile back and to one side a snowslide mingled with -gigantic rock fragments had swept down and demolished a part of a -moraine and ruined a cony home. This must have been a week or more -before. The snow along the edge of the disturbed area was tracked and -re-tracked--a confusion of cony footprints. - -But the cony making the tracks which I followed had left the place and -proceeded as though he knew just where he was going. He had not -hesitated, stopped, nor turned to look back. Where was he bound for? I -left the wreckage to follow his tracks. - -Up over a ridge the tracks led, then down a slope to the place where I -had discovered them, then to the left along a terrace a quarter of a -mile farther. Here they disappeared beneath huge rocks. - -In searching for the tracks beyond I came in view of a tiny cony -haystack back in a cave-like place formed among the rocks. By this was -the entrance to a cony den. In the thin layer of snow were numerous -cony tracks. To this entrance I traced the cony. - -As I stooped, examining things beneath, I heard a cony call above. -Edging out of the entrance I saw two conies. They were sitting on the -same rock in the sunshine. One probably was the owner of the little -haystack--the other the cony from the wrecked home. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -INTRODUCING MR. AND MRS. SKUNK - - -A skunk expects the other fellow to do the running. Not having much -practice he does not have any high speed and puts much awkward effort -and action into all speeding. - -One September day a skunk came into the grove where I was watching, -and stopping by an old log did a little digging. While eating grubs he -was disturbed by a falling pine cone. The cone was light, but had a -few spots of soft pitch upon it. It stuck to his tail. Greatly -disturbed, the skunk thrashed and floundered about until he shook the -cone off. - -A busy squirrel was harvesting and paying no attention to where his -cones were falling. Down came another cone. This landed not behind the -skunk but in front. Already troubled, the skunk stuck his tail -straight up and struck an attitude of defense. - -The skunk had been attending to his own affairs. But after being -struck by one cone and threatened with others, I suppose he thought -it time to defend himself. He looked all around, and with stiffly -turned neck was trying to see into the tree-tops when another cone -came pattering down on the other side of him. This frightened him and -at best speed he started in a run out of the grove. Just as he was -well into action another squirrel cut off a cone and this bounded and -struck near the skunk. He passed me doing his best, and I am sure at -record speed for a skunk. - -The skunk is ever prepared. So ready is he that bears, lions, or -wolves rarely attempt to spring a surprise. I ever tried not to -surprise one, but one day a skunk surprised me. - -I was edging carefully along a steep, grassy mountainside that was -slippery with two or three inches of wet snow. But with all my care -both feet suddenly lost traction at once. Out I shot over the slippery -slope. As I went I swerved slightly and grabbed for a small bush. A -second before landing I saw a skunk behind that bush; he at that -instant saw me. The bush came out by the roots and down slid bush, -skunk, and myself. - -I expected every second that the skunk would attend strictly to -business. In the sliding and tumbling I rolled completely over him. -But as there was "nothing doing" he must have been too agitated or too -busy to go into action. - -At just what age the fighting apparatus of a young skunk functions -there is no safe way of judging. If an enemy or an intruder appear -near a young skunk before his defensive machinery has developed the -youngster strikes an impressive attitude, puts up a black-plumed tail, -and runs an effective bluff. - -I came upon a black bear, who had guessed wrong, just a few minutes -after he had charged a pair of young skunks. His tracks showed that he -had paused to look at them and do a little thinking before he charged. -He had advanced, stopped, stood behind a rock pile and debated the -matter. The skunks were young--but just how young? Perhaps he had -tasted delicious young skunk, and possibly he had not yet taken a -skunk seriously. When I came up he was rubbing his face against a log -and had already taken a dive in the brook. - -A fox came into the scene where I was watching an entire skunk family. -In his extravagantly rich robe he was handsome as he stood in the -shadow close to a young skunk. Without seeing the mother, he leaped to -seize the youngster. But he swerved in the air as he met the old -skunk's acid test. Regardless of his thousand-dollar fur, he rolled, -thrashed, and tumbled about in the bushes and in the mud flat by a -brook. - -A little girl came running toward a house with her arms full of -something and calling, "See what cunning kittens I found." She leaped -merrily among the guests on the porch, let go her apron, and out -dropped half-a-dozen young skunks. - -How many times can a skunk repeat? How many acid shots can a skunk -throw at an annoyer or an enemy before he is through? was one of my -youthful interests in natural history. - -Eight times was, so everyone said, the repeating capacity of skunk -fire. - -One morning while out with two other boys and their dogs it fell to my -lot to check up on this. - -We came upon a skunk crossing an open field. There was no cover, and -in a short time each of our three cur dogs had experienced twice and -ceased barking. Each of the boys had been routed. All this time I had -dodged and danced about enjoying these exhibitions and skunk -demonstrations. - -While in action on the dogs and at the boys he had an extraordinary -field of range. From one stand, apparently by moving his body, he -threw a chemical stream horizontal, then nearly vertical, and then -swept the side lines. Far off a tiny solid stream hit in one spot; -close up it was a cloud of spray. - -When the innocent wood pussy paused after eight performances I felt -assured that of course he must be out of eradicator. But he wasn't. - -For years I avoided the skunk, the black and white plume-tailed -aristocrat. This generally was not difficult; he likes privacy and -surrounds himself with an exclusive, discouraging atmosphere. - -After a number of chance trial meetings with skunks I found that they -were interesting and dependable. From them one knows just what to -expect. The skunk attends to his own affairs and discourages -familiarity and injustice. He is independent, allows no one to pat him -on the back, and no pup to chase him. He is no respecter of persons -nor of robes. - -For years, I think, the skunk families near my cabin considered me a -good neighbour. One mated pair lived near me for three years. These -gave me good glimpses of skunk life. Their clothes were ever clean and -bright; often in front of the den I stood near while they polished -their shining black and white fur. A few times I saw the old ones -carry grasshoppers and mice into the den for the waiting little ones. -A few times I saw the entire family start afield--off for a hunt or -for fun. - -The last time I saw this pair before the old spruce blew over and -ruined their den, both mother and father were out playing with the -children. She was shooing and brushing the little skunks with her -tail, and they were trying to grab it. He was on his back in the -grass, feet in the air, with two or three youngsters tossing and -tumbling about on his kicking feet. - -Skunks have a home territory--a locality in which they may spend their -lives. The territory over which skunks hunt or ramble for amusement is -about a thousand feet in diameter. Rarely were tracks five hundred -feet from the dens of the several families near me. But twice a skunk -had gone nearly a mile away; both of these were outings, evidently -pleasure trips and not hunts. - -Once when a Mr. and Mrs. Skunk wandered up the mountainside seeking -adventure and amusement I trailed them--read their record in the snow. -They climbed more than two thousand feet among the crags and explored -more than a mile into the wilderness. They found and ate a part of the -contents of a mouse nest. They killed other mice and left these -uneaten. This outing was a frolic and not a foraging expedition. - -Homeward, Mr. and Mrs. Skunk chose a different route from the one -taken in going up the mountain. They travelled leisurely, going the -longest way, pausing at one place to play and at another to sit and -possibly to doze in the sunshine. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. B. Webster_ - _A Wild Cat_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Frank H. Rose_ - _Bear Feet. A bear footprint is humanlike_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by George F. Diehl_ - _A Black Bear_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _Antelope_] - -At one point they apparently defended themselves. Coyote tracks behind -a log within ten feet of them, their own tracks showing an attitude of -defense, and a wild leap and retreat of the coyote--this was the story -in the snow. - -The majority of my lively skunk experiences were the result of my -trying to get more closely acquainted with him. On a number of -occasions, however, I was an innocent bystander while some other -person had the experience. Then through years of outdoor life I have -known skunks to do numerous things of interest in which skunk -character and not skunk scent was the centre of interest. - -During a night of flooding rain a mother skunk and five tiny skunkies -came into the kitchen of a family with whom I was temporarily staying. -They probably had been drowned out. Mother skunk was killed and the -little ones thrown out the window to die. But father skunk still -lived. The next evening when I went in search of the young ones, as I -stood looking about, father skunk walked into a bunch of grass and -lifted a little skunk out. Taking mouth hold on the back of its neck -he carried it a few feet, laid it down, and then picked up another -little skunk with it. With the two youngsters hanging from this mouth -hold he carried them off into the woods. - -An entire family of skunks out on a frolic came unexpectedly upon me. -They numbered eight. I was sitting on a log against a pine, and -resolved not to move. In front of me the mother stepped upon a thorn, -flinched, and lifted her foot to examine it. All gathered about her. -As they moved this way and that, in the sunshine then in the shadows, -their shiny black and clean white showed as though just scoured and -polished. Surely they were freshly groomed for a party. - -Without noticing me they began playing, jumping, and scuffling about. -Then single file they pursued one another round a tree. In a mass they -suddenly started to rush round the pine against which I sat. I saw -them vanish behind the northwest quarter but when they swept round the -southeast I was not there. - -In Montana I was sitting on top of a low cliff looking down into a -willow thicket below, when a deer shied from the willows and hurried -on. Then a coyote came out mad and sneezing. A squirrel went down to -investigate but quickly climbed a pine sputtering and threatening. The -unusual ever lured me--appealed to my curiosity--and often this -brought adventure plus information. So down into the willows I -started. From the side of the cliff I reached an out-thrust limb of a -pine, swung out, and let go to drop just as the ascending air filled -with skunk publicity. - -It is sometimes difficult to predict correctly what a skunk will do -next. At times my skunk neighbours by my cabin prowled forth at night -and again it was in daytime. Generally they showed no concern with the -movements of birds and animals unless one came close. On other days -they would watch the moves of everything within eye range. Hurrying -down a mountainside I one day struck a large skunk with my heavy shoe -and knocked him senseless. I waited and watched him survive. Seeing me -standing by him he rolled over and played possum. - -The young skunks stay with the parents for about one year, I think. In -the few instances where I had glimpses inside of winter hibernating -dens, the entire family was hibernating together. Apparently the young -winter with the parents the first year and scatter the following -spring. - -Gladly I headed for a prospector's cabin in which I was to spend a few -days and nights. I was scarcely seated by his fireplace when he went -outside to "cut some meat" that hung at the rear of the cabin. - -The first thing I knew a big skunk stood in the doorway. He looked my -way, then started matter-of-fact for me. To heighten interest and to -introduce suspense nothing equals the presence of a skunk. - -With utmost effort I sat tight. It would have taken more effort to try -to turn the skunk or to dodge him. But had I known his next move I -would have moved first. He sprang into my lap. - -It was too late to dodge so I sat still. He stood up and with paws -against me began to look me over. I did not care to lift him off, and -he did not "scat." I stood up so he would slide off. With a forepaw in -my vest pocket he hung on and I did not risk shaking too violently. - -Finally, realizing that he must be a pet, I sat down and began to -stroke him. He took this kindly and by the time the prospector -returned I was at ease. - -Not finding any fresh eggs in a hen's nest, a young skunk started -playing with a lone china egg. He was so interested that I came close -without his noticing me. He rolled the egg over, pawed it about, -tapped it with forepaws, and then smelled it. All the time he was -comically serious in expression. Then he held the china egg in -forepaws above his head; lay down on his back and played with it, -using all four feet; rolled it across his stomach and finally stood -up like a little bear and holding the egg against his stomach with -forepaws looked it over with a puzzled expression. - -The happy adventures of outdoor life never reduce the excess profits -of life insurance companies. They lengthen life. Enjoying the sense of -smell is one of the enjoyments of the open country; the spice of the -pines and perfumes of wild flowers, the chemical pungency of rain, -sun, and soil, the mellow aromas of autumn, and the irrepressible -odour of the skunk. - -The occupants of a city flat had complained for two days of the lack -of heat. The janitor fired strong, but the protests continued. The hot -air system did not work. The main must be blockaded, so the janitor -thrust in the poker and stirred things up. There was a lively -scratching inside. A skunk protested then came scrambling out. -Instantly a skunk protest was registered in every room, and a -protester against skunk air rushed forth from each room. - -Indians say that skunk meat is a delicacy. The frequent attempts of -lion and coyote to seize him suggest that he is a prize. - -An old joke of the prairie is this skunk definition, "A pole cat is an -animal not safe to kill with a pole." But the Indians of the -Northwest say that a skunk may be so killed and that a sharp whack of -a pole across his back paralyzes nerve action--result, no smell. - -In a conversation with a Crow Indian he assured me of his ability to -successfully kill a skunk with a pole, and also that he was planning -to have a fresh one for dinner. I was to eat with him. - -He procured a pole and invited me to go along. I told him of my plan -to go down stream for the night. He would not hear of it. As I made -ready to go his entire family, then a part of the tribe, came to -protest as they were planning tomorrow to show me a bear den and a -number of young beavers. There was no escape. - -Skunk stew was served. I felt more solemn than I appeared, but not -wanting to offend the tribe I tried a mouthful of skunk. But there are -some things that cannot be done. I tried to swallow it but go down it -simply would not. The Indians had been watching me and suddenly burst -out in wild laughter and saved me. - -I wonder if the clean white forked stripe in the jet black of the -skunk's back renders him visible in the night. Does this visibility -prevent other animals from colliding with him, and thus prevent the -consequences of such collision? The skunk prowls both day and night, -and it may be that this distinct black and white coat is a -protection--prevents his being mistaken for some other fellow. - -A skunk is easily trapped. He is a dull-witted fellow, and has little -strategy or suspicion. So well protected is he against attack, and so -readily can he seize upon the food just secured by another, that -rarely does he become excited or move quickly. He never seems to hurry -or worry. - -I do not believe that I ever missed an opportunity to see a skunk -close up. Of course I never aimed to thrust myself upon them. But -repeatedly I was surprised by them and it took days to get over it. - -A brush pile was filled with skunks. When I leaped upon it they rushed -forth on every side, stopped, and waited for me to go away. I was in a -hurry, and as they refused to be driven farther off I made way for -liberty. - -Skunks are not bad people; they simply refuse to be kicked around or -to have salt placed upon their plumy tails. Sooner or later every -animal in a skunk's territory turns his back on the skunk and refuses -to have anything to do with him. But the skunk turns first. - -The skunk to go into action reverses ends and puts up his tail. Every -animal in the woods wonders as he meets a skunk; wonders, "What luck -now?" Head he wins or tails the skunk wins. When a skunk goes into -reverse--thus runs the world away. - -The desert skunks that I saw were mighty hunters. Two were even -willing to pose for a picture by their kills: one had a five-foot -rattlesnake; the other a desert rat. There may be hydrophobia skunks, -but I have not seen them nor their victims wasting their lives on the -desert bare. - -Skunk character and habits evidently changed as the skunk evolved his -defensive odour to a state of effectiveness. He now is slow and dull -witted. Formerly he probably was mentally alert and physically -efficient. His relatives the mink, weasel, and otter are of -extraordinary powers. While all these have an obnoxious odour, the -mink especially, the skunk is the only one who has made it a -far-reaching means of defense. - -Skunks appear to be of Asiatic origin. They may have come into America -across the Siberia-Alaska land bridge a million or so years ago. -Fossil skunks ages old are found in fossil deposits in the Western -states. - -"Hurry," called a trapper with whom I was camping, as he dashed up, -seized his tent-fly, and disappeared behind a clump of trees. As it -was a perfectly clear evening, this grabbing of a tent-fly and -frantically rushing off suggested the possibility of his running -amuck. But I never ask questions too quickly, and this time there was -no opportunity. - -As I rounded the trees there before me were two fighting skunks being -separated by the trapper. Both turned on him for separating them; but -he was into the tent-fly and nearly out of range. Again they were at -grips and were biting, clawing, and rolling about when the trapper -rushed in, caught his shoe beneath them, and with a leg swing threw -them hurtling through the air. They dropped splash into the brook. -They separated and swam out to different sides of the brook. - -The following day a skunk came out of the woods below camp and fed -along the brook in the willows, then out across an opening. I watched -him for an hour or longer. - -At first I thought him a youngster and started to get close to him. -But while still at safe range I looked at him through my field glasses -and remained at a distance. Yet I am satisfied that he was a -youngster, for he allowed a beetle to pinch his nose, ants were -swarming all over him before he ceased digging in an ant hill, and a -mouse he caught bit his foot. - -He dug and ate beetles, ants, grubs from among the grass roots, found -a stale mouse, claimed grubs from alongside a stump, and consumed a -whole cluster of caterpillars. Then he started toddling across the -open. Here he specialized on grasshoppers. Commonly he caught these -with a forepaw. At other times with two forepaws or his teeth. - -He did not appear to suspect any danger and did not pause to look -around. No other skunks came near. He lumbered back toward the willows -and here met the trapper. They stopped and stood facing each other at -man's length. The skunk expected him and everything met to retreat -promptly or side step and appeared to be surprised that this was not -done. - -A minute's waiting and the skunk walked by him at regular speed and -never looked up. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE PERSISTENT BEAVER - - -I saw a forest fire sweeping down upon the Broken Tree Beaver colony, -and I knew that the inhabitants could take refuge in their earthy, -fire-proof houses in the water. Their five houses were scattered in -the pond like little islands or ancient lake dwellings. A vigorous -brook that came down from the snows on Mount Meeker flowed through the -pond. Towering spruce trees encircled its shores. - -The beavers survived the fiery ordeal, but their near-by and -prospective winter food-supply was destroyed. This grove of aspen and -every deciduous tree that might have furnished a bark food-supply was -consumed or charred by the fire. - -Instead of moving, the colony folks spent a number of days clearing -the fire wreckage from their pond. With winter near and streams -perilously low for travelling, it probably was unwise to go elsewhere -and try to build a home and gather a harvest. - -One night, early in October, the colonists gnawed down a number of -aspens that had escaped the fire. These were in a grove several -hundred feet down stream from the pond. A few nights later they -commenced to drag the felled aspens up stream into their pond. This -was difficult work, for midway between the grove and the pond was a -waterfall. The beaver had to drag each aspen out of the water and up a -steep bank and make a portage around the falls. - -The second night of this up-stream transportation a mountain lion had -lain in wait by the falls. Tracks and marks on the muddy slope showed -that he had made an unsuccessful leap for two beavers on the portage. -The following morning an aspen of eighty pounds' weight which two -beavers had evidently been dragging was lying on the slope. The lion -had not only missed, but on the muddy slope he slipped and received a -ducking in the deep water-hole below. - -Transportation up stream was stopped. The remainder of the felled -aspens were piled into a near-by "safety pond." A shallow stream which -beavers use for a thoroughfare commonly has in it a safety pond which -they maintain as a harbour, diving into it in case of attack. Usually -winter food is stored within a few feet of the house, but in this case -it was nearly six hundred feet away. In storing it in the safety pond, -the beavers probably were making the best of a bad situation. - -Two days after the attack from the lion the beavers commenced cutting -trees about fifty yards north of their pond. The beavers took pains to -clear a trail or log road over which to drag their felled trees to the -pond. Two fallen tree trunks were gnawed into sections, and one -section of each rolled out of the way. A two-foot opening was cleared -through a tongue of willows, and the cuttings dragged into the pond -and placed on top of the food-pile. - -One morning a number of abandoned cuttings along this cleared way told -that the harvesters had been put to flight. No work was done during -the three following nights. Tracks in the mud showed that a lion was -prowling about. - -Pioneer dangers and hardships are the lot of beaver colonists. The -history of every old beaver house is full of stirring interest. The -house and the dam must have constant care. Forest fires or other -uncontrollable accidents may force the abandonment of the colony at a -time when the conditions for travelling are deadly, or when travelling -must be done across the country. A score may leave the old home, but -only a few survive the journey to the new home site. - -The Broken Tree colonists continued the harvest by cutting the -scattered aspens along the stream above the pond. A few were cut a -quarter of a mile up stream. Before these could be floated down into -the pond it was necessary to break a jam of limbs and old trees that -had collected against a boulder. The beaver gnawed a hole through the -jam. One day a harvester who ventured far up a shallow brook was -captured by a grizzly bear. During this unfortunate autumn it is -probable that others were lost besides these mentioned. -Harvest-getting ended by the pond and the stream freezing over. It is -probable that the colonists had to live on short rations that winter. - -One winter day a beaver came swimming down into the safety pond. I -watched him through the ice. He dislodged a small piece of aspen from -the pile in the bottom of the pond and with it went swimming up stream -beneath the ice. At the bottom of the icy falls I found a number of -aspen cuttings with the bark eaten off. While examining these, I -discovered a hole or passageway at the bottom of the falls. This -tunnel extended through the earth into the pond above. This -underground portage route enabled the beavers to reach their supplies -down stream. - -The fire had killed a number of tall spruces on the edge of the pond, -and their tall half-burned mats swayed threateningly in the wind. One -night two of the dead spruces were hurled into the pond. The smaller -one had fallen across a housetop, but the house was thick-walled and, -being frozen, had sustained the shock which broke the spruce into -sections. The other fallen tree fell so heavily upon two of the houses -that they were crushed like shells. At least four beavers were killed -and a number injured. - -Spring came early, and the colonists were no doubt glad to welcome it. -The pond, during May and June, was a beautiful place. Grass and wild -flowers brightened the shore, and the tips of the spruces were thick -with dainty bloom. Deer came up from the lowlands and wild sheep came -down from the heights. The woods and willows were filled with happy -mating birds. The ousel built and sang by the falls near which it had -wintered. Wrens, saucy as ever, and quiet bluebirds and numbers of -wise and watchful magpies were about. The Clarke crows maintained -their noisy reputation, and the robins were robins still. - -One May morning I concealed myself behind a log by the pond, within -twenty feet of the largest beaver house. I hoped to see the young -beavers. My crawling behind a log was too much for a robin, and she -raised such an ado concerning a concealed monster that other birds -came to join in the hubbub and to help drive me away. But I did not -move, and after two or three minutes of riot the birds took themselves -off to their respective nesting-sites. - -Presently a brown nose appeared between the house and my hiding place. -As a mother beaver climbed upon one of the spruce logs thrust out of -the water, her reflection in the water mingled with spruces and the -white clouds in the blue field above. She commenced to dress her -fur--to make her toilet. After preliminary scratching and clawing with -a hind foot, she rose and combed with foreclaws; a part of the time -with both forepaws at once. Occasionally she scratched with the double -nail on the second toe of the hind foot. It is only by persistent -bathing, combing, and cleaning that beavers resist the numerous -parasites which thick fur and stuffy, crowded houses encourage. - -A few mornings later the baby beavers appeared. The mother attracted -my attention with some make-believe repairs on the farther end of the -dam, and the five youngsters emerged from the house through the water -and squatted on the side of the house before I saw them. For a minute -all sat motionless. By and by one climbed out on a projecting stick -and tumbled into the water. The others showed no surprise at this -accident. - -The one in the water did not mind but swam outward where he was caught -in the current that started to carry him over the dam. At this stage -his mother appeared. She simply rose beneath him. He accepted the -opportunity and squatted upon her back with that expressionless face -which beavers carry most of the time. There are occasions, however, on -which beavers show expression of fear, surprise, eagerness, and even -intense pleasure. The youngster sat on his mother's back as though -asleep while she swam with him to the house. Here he climbed off in a -matter-of-fact way, as though a ride on a ferry-boat was nothing new -to him. - -A few weeks later the mother robin who had become so wrought up over -my hiding had times of dreadful excitement concerning the safety of -her children. If anything out of the usual occurs, the robin insists -that the worst possible is about to happen. This season the mother -robin had nested upon the top of the beaver house. This was one of the -safest of places, but so many things occurred to frighten her that it -is a wonder she did not die of heart disease. The young robins were -becoming restless at the time the young beavers were active. Every -morning, when on the outside of the beaver house each young beaver -started in turn as though to climb to the top, poor Mother Robin -became almost hysterical. At last, despite all her fears, her entire -brood was brought safely off. - -During the summer, a majority of the Broken Tree beavers abandoned the -colony and moved to other scenes. A number built a half-mile down -stream, while the others, with one exception, travelled to an -abandoned beaver colony on the first stream to the north. Overland -this place was only half a mile from the Broken Tree, but by water -route, down stream to the forks then up the other stream to the -colony, the distance was three miles. This was an excellent place to -live, and with but little repair an old abandoned dam was made better -than a new one. All summer a lone beaver of this colony rambled about. -Once he returned to the Broken Tree colony. Finally, he cast his lot -with the long-established colony several miles down stream. - -Late this summer a huge landslide occurred on the stream above the -Broken Tree pond. The slide material blocked the channel and formed a -large, deep pond. From this dam of debris and the torn slope from -which it slipped came such quantities of sediment that it appeared as -though the pond might be filled. Every remaining colonist worked day -and night to build a dam on the stream just above their pond. They -worked like beavers. This new pond caught and stopped the sediment. It -was apparently built for this purpose. - -The colonists who remained repaired only two of the five houses, and -between these they piled green aspen and willow for winter food. But -before a tree was cut they built a dam to the north of their home. -Water for this was obtained by a ditch or canal dug from the stream at -a point above the sediment-catching pond. When the new pond was full, -a low grassy ridge about twenty feet across separated it from the old -one. A canal about three feet wide and from one to two feet deep was -cut through the ridge, to connect the two ponds. The aspens harvested -were taken from the slope of a moraine beyond the north shore of the -new pond. The canal and the new pond greatly shortened the land -distance over which the trees had to be dragged, and this made -harvesting safer, speedier, and easier. - -Occasionally the beavers did daytime work. While on the lookout one -afternoon an old beaver waddled up the slope and stopped by a large -standing aspen that had been left by the other workers. At the very -bottom this tree was heavily swollen. The old beaver took a bite of -its bark and ate with an expressionless face. Evidently it was good, -for after eating the old fellow scratched a large pile of trash -against the base of the tree, and from this platform gnawed the tree -off above the swollen base. While he was gnawing a splinter of wood -wedged between his upper front teeth. This was picked out by catching -it with the double nails of the second toe on the right hind foot. -This aspen was ten inches in diameter at the point cut off. The -diameter of trees cut is usually from three to six inches. The largest -beaver cutting that I have measured was a cottonwood with a diameter -of forty-two inches. On large, old trees the rough bark is not eaten, -but from the average tree which is felled for food all of the bark and -a small per cent of the wood is eaten. Rarely will a beaver cut dead -wood, and only in emergencies will he cut a pine or a spruce. -Apparently the pitch is distasteful to him. - -One day another beaver cut a number of small aspens and dragged these, -one or two at a time, to the pond. After a dozen or more were -collected, all were pushed off into the water. Against this small raft -the beaver placed his forepaws and swimming pushed it to the food-pile -near the centre of the old pond. - -At the close of harvest the beavers in Broken Tree colony pond -covered their houses above waterline with mud, which they dredged from -the pond around the foundations of their houses. Sometimes this mud -was moved in their forepaws, sometimes by hooking the tail under and -dragging it between their hind legs. Then they dug a channel in the -bottom of the pond, which extended from the houses to the dam. -Parallel with the dam they dug out another channel; the excavated -material was placed on the top of the dam. They also made a shallow -ditch in the bottom of the pond that extended from the house to the -canal that united the two ponds. - -The following summer was a rainy one, and the pond filled with -sediment to the height of the dam. Most of this sediment came from the -landslide debris or its sliding place. The old Broken Tree colony was -abandoned. - -Different from most animals, the beaver has a permanent home. The -beaver has a strong attachment, or love, for his old home, and will go -to endless work and repeatedly risk dangers to avoid moving away. He -will dig canals, build dams, or even drag supplies long distances by -land through difficult and dangerous places that he may live on in the -old place. Here his ancestors may have been born and here he may spend -his lifetime. In most cases, however, a colony is not continuously -occupied this long. A flood, fire, or the complete exhaustion of food -may compel him to move and seek a new home. - -In abandoning the Broken Tree pond, one set of dwellers simply went up -stream and took possession of the pond which the landslide had formed. -Here they gathered supplies and dug a hole or den in the bank but they -built no house. An underground tube or passageway connected this den -with the bottom of the pond. - -The remainder of the colonists started anew about three hundred feet -to the north of the old pond. Here a dam about sixty feet long was -built, mostly of mud and turf excavated from the area to be filled -with water for their pond. They commenced their work by digging a -trench and piling the material excavated on the lower side--the -beginning of the dam. This ditch was then widened and deepened until -the pond was completed. All excavated material was placed upon the -dam. - -Evidently the site for the house, as well as for the pond, was -deliberately selected. The house was built in the pond alongside a -spring which in part supplied the pond with water. The supply of -winter food was stored in the deep hole from which the material for -the house was excavated. The water from the spring checked freezing -near the house and the food-pile, and prevented the ice from -troubling the colonists. Beavers apparently comprehend the advantage -of having a house close to a spring. This spring commonly is between -the main house entrance and the winter food-pile. - -Their pond did not fill with sediment. As the waters came entirely -from springs they were almost free of sediment. After eighteen years -of use there was but a thin covering of sediment on the bottom of the -pond. Neither brook nor stream entered this pond. Was this pond -constructed in this place for the purpose of avoiding sediment? As -beavers occasionally and with much labour build in a place of this -kind, when there are other and easier near-by places in which to -build, it may be that this pond was placed here because it would -escape sediment. This was the founding of the Spruce Tree colony. It -is still inhabited. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE OTTER PLAYS ON - - -A long-bodied, yellow-brown animal walked out of the woods and paused -for a moment by the rapids of a mountain stream. Its body architecture -was that of a dachshund, with the stout neck and small upraised head -of a sea lion. Leaping into the rushing water it shot the rapids in a -spectacular manner. At the bottom of the rapids it climbed out of the -water on the bank opposite me and stopped to watch its mate. This one -stood at the top of the rapids. It also leaped in and joyfully came -down with the torn and speeding water. It joined the other on the -bank. - -Together they climbed to the top of the rapids. Again these daredevils -gave a thrilling exhibition of running the rushing water. They were -American otter, and this was a part of their fun and play. A single -false move and the swift water would have hurled and broken them -against projecting rocks. In the third run one clung to the top of a -boulder that peeped above the mad, swirling water. The other shot -over its back a moment later and endeavoured in passing to kick it -off. - -Though I had frequented the woods for years and had seen numerous -otter slides, this was the beginning of my acquaintance with this -audacious and capable animal whose play habit and individuality so -enliven the wilderness. - -Play probably is the distinguishing trait of this peculiar animal. He -plays regularly--in pairs, in families, or with numbers who appear to -meet for this special purpose. Evidently he plays when this is not -connected with food getting or mating. He plays in Florida, in the -Rocky Mountains, and in Alaska; in every month of the year; in the -sunlight, the moonlight, or darkness. The slippery, ever freshly used -appearance of bank slides indicates constant play. - -The best otter play that I ever watched was staged one still winter -night by a stream in the Medicine Bow Mountains. The snowy slide lay -in the moonlight, with the shadow of a solitary fir tree across it. It -extended about forty feet down a steep slope to the river. The slide -had not been in use for two nights, but coasters began to appear about -nine o'clock. A pair opened the coasting. They climbed up the slope -together and came down singly. No others were as yet in sight. But in -a few minutes fourteen or more were in the play. - -Most of the coasters emerged from an open place in the ice over the -rapids, but others came down the river over the snow. As the otter -population of this region was sparse the attendance probably included -the otter representatives of an extensive area. Tracks in the snow -showed that four--possibly a family--had come from another stream, -travelling over a high intervening ridge four or five miles across. -Many may have come twenty miles or farther. - -The winter had been dry and cold. The few otters recently seen by -daylight were hunting over the snow for grouse and rabbits, far from -the stream. Otter food was scarce. Probably many, possibly all, of -these merrymakers were hungry, but little would you have guessed it -from their play. - -It was a merry-go-round of coasters climbing up single file by the -slide while coaster after coaster shot singly down. Each appeared to -start with a head-foremost vault or dive and to dart downward over the -slides with all legs flattened and pointing backward. Each coaster, as -a rule, shot straight to the bottom, though a few times one went off -at an angle and finished with a roll. A successful slide carried the -coaster far out on the smooth ice and occasionally to the farther bank -of the river. - -After half an hour of coasting all collected at the top of the slide -for wrestling contests. A number dodged about, touching, tagging, -rearing to clinch and then to roll over. Several exhibitions were -occurring at one time. A few times one chased another several yards -from the crowd. Once a number stood up in pairs with forepaws on each -other's shoulders and appeared to be waltzing. Finally there was a -free-for-all mix-up, a grand rush. One appeared to have an object, -perhaps a cone, which all the others were after. Then, as if by common -consent, all plunged down the slide together. At the bottom they -rolled about for a few seconds in merry satisfaction, but only for a -few seconds, for soon several climbed up again and came coasting down -in pairs. Thus for an hour the play in the frosty moonlight went on, -and without cry or uttered sound. They were coasting singly when I -slipped away to my campfire. - -The otter is one of the greatest of travellers. He swims the streams -for miles or makes long journeys into the hills. On land he usually -selects the smoothest, easiest way, but once I saw him descend a rocky -precipice with speed and skill excelled only by the bighorn sheep. He -has a permanent home range and generally this is large. From his den -beneath the roots of a tree, near a stream bank or lake shore, he may -go twenty miles up or down stream; or he may traverse the woods to a -far-off lake or cross the watershed to the next stream, miles away. He -appears to emigrate sometimes--goes to live in other scenes. - -These long journeys for food or adventure, sometimes covering weeks, -must fill the otter's life with colour and excitement. Swimming miles -down a deep watercourse may require only an hour or two. But a journey -up stream often to its very source, through cascades and scant water, -would often force the travellers out of the channel and offer endless -opportunities for slow progress and unexpected happenings. What an -experience for the youngsters! - -They may travel in pairs, in families or in numbers. The dangers are -hardly to be considered. The grizzly bear could kill with a single -bite or stroke of paw; but the agility of the otter would discourage -such an attack. A pack of wolves, could they corner the caravan, would -likely after severe loss feast on the travellers. The only successful -attack that I know of was by a mountain lion on a single otter. Yet so -efficient is this long-bodied, deep-biting fellow that I can imagine -the mountain lion usually avoiding the otter's trail. - -The long land journeys from water to water appear to call for the -greatest resourcefulness and to offer all the events that lie in the -realm of the unexplored. Between near-by streams and lakes there are -regular and well-worn ways. By easy grades these follow mostly open -ways across rough country. It is likely that even the long, -seldom-used, and unmarked ways across miles of watersheds are otter -trails that have been used for ages. - -Fortunate folks, these otters, to have so much time, and such wild, -romantic regions for travel and exploration! After each exciting time -that I have watched them I have searched for hours and days trying to -see another outfit of otter explorers. But only a few brief glimpses -have I had of these wild, picturesque, adventurous bands. - -In all kinds of places, in action for fun or food, frolic or fight, -the otter ever gives a good account of himself. He appears to fear -only man. Though he may be attacked by larger animals this matter is -not heavily on his mind, for when he wants to travel he travels; and -he does this, too, both in water and on land, and by either day or -night. To a remarkable degree he can take care of himself. Though I -have not seen him do so, I can readily believe the stories that -accredit this twenty-pound weasel-like fellow with killing young bears -and deer, and drowning wolves and dogs. - -The otter is a fighter. One day I came upon records in the snow far -from the water that showed he had walked into a wild-cat ambush. The -extensively trampled snow told that the desperate contest had been a -long one. The cat was left dead, and the otter had left two pressed -and bloody spaces in the snow where he had stopped to dress his wounds -on the way to the river. On another occasion the fierceness of the -otter was attested to by two coyotes that nearly ran over me in their -flight after an assault on the rear guard of a band of overland otter -emigrants. - -Probably the only animal that enters a beaver pond that gives the -beaver any concern is the otter. One morning I had glimpses of a -battle in a beaver pond between a large invading otter and numerous -home-defense beavers. Most of the fighting was under water, but the -pond was roiled and agitated over a long stretch, beginning where the -attack commenced and extending to the incoming brook, where the badly -wounded otter made his escape. - -Both beaver and otter can remain under water for minutes, and during -this time put forth their utmost and most effective efforts. Several -times during this struggle the contestants came up where they could -breathe. Twice when the otter appeared he was at it with one large -beaver; another time he was surrounded by several, one or more of -which had their teeth in him. When he broke away he was being -vigorously mauled by a single beaver, which appeared content to let -him go since the otter was bent on escape. It was an achievement for -the otter to have held his own against such odds. The beaver is at -home in the water, and, moreover, has terrible teeth and is a master -in using them. - -Though originally a land animal, the otter is now also master of the -water. He has webbed feet and a long, sea lion-like neck, which give -him the appearance of an animal especially fitted for water travel. He -outswims fish and successfully fights the wolf and the beaver in the -water. He still has, however, extraordinary ability on land, where he -goes long journeys and defends himself against formidable enemies. -There are straggling otters which invade the realm of the squirrel by -climbing trees. - -The otter is a mighty hunter and by stealth and strength kills animals -larger than himself. He is also a most successful fisherman and is -rated A1 in water. Here his keen eyes, his speed and quickness enable -him to outswim and capture the lightning-like trout. Fish is his main -article of diet, but this must be fresh--just caught; he is a fish -hog. He also eats crawfish, eels, mice, rabbits, and birds. However, -he is an epicure and wants only the choicer cuts. He never stores -food or returns to finish a partly eaten kill. The more abundant the -food supply the less of each catch or kill will he eat. - -Food saving is not one of his habits, and conservation has never been -one of his practices. Though he hunts and travels mostly at night and -alone, he is variable in his habits. - -Like all keen-witted animals the otter is ever curious concerning the -new or the unusual. He has a good working combination of the cautious -and the courageous. One day an otter in passing hurriedly rattled -gravel against a discarded sardine can. He gave three or four -frightened leaps, then turned to look back. He wondered what it was. -With circling, cautious advances he slowly approached and touched the -can. It was harmless--and useful. He cuffed it and chased it; he -played with it as a kitten plays with a ball. Presently he was joined -in the play by another. For several minutes they battered it about, -fell upon it, raced for it, and strove to be the first to reach it. - -The otter is distributed over North America, but only in Alaska and -northern Canada does the population appear to have been crowded. In -most areas it might be called sparse. In reduced numbers he still -clings to his original territory. That he has extraordinary ability -to take care of himself is shown in his avoiding extermination, though -he wears a valuable coat of fur. In England he has survived and is -still regularly hunted and trapped. Like the fox he is followed with -horse and hounds. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver House and Winter Food Supply_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver House in the First Snow_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Coyote--Clown of the Prairies_] - -Relentless in chase for food and fierce in defense of self or young, -yet he is affectionate at home and playful with his fellows. If an old -one is trapped or shot the mate seeks the absent one, wandering and -occasionally wailing for days. Perhaps they mate for life. - -The young, one to four at a birth, are born about the first of May. -They are blind for perhaps six weeks. They probably are weaned before -they are four months old, but run with the parents for several months. -Both parents carry food for the young and both appear devoted to them. -As soon as they are allowed to romp or sleep in the sunshine they are -under the ever-watchful eye of one of the parents. Woe to the -accidental intruder who comes too close. A hawk or owl is warned off -with far-reaching snarls and hisses. If high water, landslides, or the -near presence of man threatens the youngsters they are carried one at -a time to a far-off den. - -The hide-and-seek play appears to be the favourite one of the cubs, -kits, or pups, as they are variously called. They may hide behind -mother, behind a log, or beneath the water. - -The otter has a powerful, crushing bite and jaws that hang on like a -vise. A tug-of-war between two youngsters, each with teeth set in the -opposite ends of a stick, probably is a good kind of preparation for -the future. They may singly or sometimes two at a time ride on -mother's back as she swims about low in the water. When they are a -little older mother slips from under them, much to their fright and -excitement. She thus forces them to learn to swim. Though most habits -are likely instinctive they are trained in swimming. - -The otter's two or two-and-a-half foot body is carried on four short -legs which have webbed and clawed feet. One weighs from fifteen to -twenty-five pounds. Clad in a coat of fur and a sheet of fat he enjoys -the icy streams in winter. He also enjoys life in the summer. Though -with habits of his own he has ways of the weasel and of the sea otter. - -He sends forth a variety of sounds and calls. He whistles a signal or -chirps with contentment; he hisses and he bristles up and snarls; he -sniffs and gives forth growls of many kinds. - -His active brain, eternal alertness, keen senses, and agile body gave -him a rare equipment in the struggle for existence. He is in this -struggle commonly a conqueror. "Yes," said a lazy but observing -trapper one evening by my campfire, "the otter has more peculiarities -than any other animal of the wilderness. Concealed under his one skin -are three or four kinds of animals." And this I found him. Doubtless -there are many interesting unrecorded and unseen customs concerning -this inscrutable and half-mysterious animal. - -Possibly the otter heads the list in highly developed play habit. -Sometimes numbers gather in advance to prepare a place on which to -play. The otter slide rivals the beaver dam when wild folks' ways are -discussed. It is interesting that this capable animal with a wide -range of efficient versatility should be the one that appears to give -the most regular attention to play. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BIGHORN IN THE SNOW - - -One winter morning an old mountain sheep came down from the heights, -through the deep snow, and called at my cabin. We had already spent a -few years trying to get acquainted. Most of these slow advances had -been made by myself, but this morning he became a real neighbour, and -when I opened the door the Master of the Crags appeared pleased to see -me. Although many a shy, big fellow among the wild folks had accepted -me as a friend, I had not even hoped to have a close enough meeting -with a wild bighorn ram to make an introduction necessary for good -form. - -I stood for a moment just outside the cabin door. The situation was -embarrassing for us both; our advances were confusing, but I finally -brought about a meeting of actual contact with bighorn. With slowness -of movement I advanced to greet him, talking to him all the while in -low tones. Plainly his experiences assured him that I was not -dangerous, yet at the same time instinct was demanding that he -retreat. For a time I held him through interest and curiosity, but -presently he backed off a few steps. Again I slowly advanced and -steadily assured him in the universal language--tone--that all was -well. Though not alarmed, he moved off at right angles, apparently -with the intention of walking around me. I advanced at an angle to -intercept him. With this move on my part, he stopped to stare for a -moment, then turned and started away. - -I started after him at full speed. He, too, speeded, but with -snowshoes I easily circled him. He quickly saw the folly of trying to -outrun me; and if he did not accept the situation with satisfaction, -as I think he did, he certainly took things philosophically. He -climbed upon a snow-draped boulder and posed as proudly as a Greek -god. Then he stared at me. - -Presently he relaxed and showed a friendly interest. I then advanced -and formally introduced myself, accompanying my movements with rapid -comment and chatter. I asked him if he was glad to be alive, asked his -opinion concerning the weather, the condition of his flock, and -finally, told him that game preserves was one of my hobbies, and in -such refuges I trusted he had a deep interest. All this, while within -a few yards of him and in a most friendly tone; still he remained -almost coldly curious. - -At last I begged the rare privilege of taking his picture, and as he -was not in a place for good picture-taking, I proceeded to drive him -to a spot closer to my cabin. To my astonishment he was willingly -driven! He went along as though he had often been driven and as though -going to a place of which he was fond! - -Among scattered pines and willows by my brook I circled him and took a -number of photographs. At last I walked up to my bighorn friend, -rubbed his back and felt his horns. He was not frightened but appeared -to enjoy these attentions, and to seem proud of my association. But, -my big speechless fellow, I had the most from your call! - -Twice afterward, once in the winter and once mid-summer, he called and -came up to me, and with dignified confidence licked salt from my hand. - -In both the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains there are numerous flocks -of bighorn or wild mountain sheep which have a resident stamping -ground above the timberline, at an altitude of 12,000 feet. They -appear not to migrate, although they go often into the lowlands; in -spring for the earliest green stuff, in summer for salt or for a -change, and during the winter when conditions commend or command such -a move. With the coming of a storm or if there is an attack on them, -they at once climb high among the crags, up close to where the eagles -soar. - -The heights thus is the home of wild sheep. The young are born in bare -places among the crags and the snowfields. All stand the storms up -close to the sky. They are warmly wrapped; their long, coarse outer -coat of hair is almost waterproof and defies the cold. - -One of my trips as Snow Observer carried me across the wild -Continental Divide while the sky was clearing after a heavy snowfall. -In climbing to the summit I passed close to three herds of deer that -were stranded in deep snow. But the high wind had swept the treeless -summit, and in places the snow had been deeply excavated. In other -places it had been thrown into massive drifts. On the summit plateau -at an altitude of 12,000 feet I rounded a crag and came close upon a -flock of mountain sheep in the moorland from which the wind had swept -most of the snow. The sheep were bunched, scattered, and a few were -lying down. Here in the heights the sheep had already forgotten the -storm, while the elk and the deer far down in the wooded slopes were -deeply troubled by the snow. With this open place on the mountain -top, these hardy dwellers of the summit could long be indifferent to -deep snow or to its deliberate melting. - -They bunched in the farthest corner of their wind-cleared place and -eyed me curiously while I went by. I back-tracked their wallowed trail -to the nook in which they had endured the three-day storm. This place -was nearly a mile distant, but over most of the way to the snowless -pasture the sheep had travelled on the very edge of the plateau, from -which wind and gravity had cleared most of the snow. They had stood -through the storm bunched closely against a leeward plateau wall -several yards below the summit. The snow had eddied down and buried -them deeply. It had required a long and severe struggle to get out of -this snow and back through it to the summit, as their footmarks and -body impressions plainly showed. - -This storm was a general one and deeply covered several states. It was -followed by two weeks of cold. For several hundred miles along this -and other ranges the deer and the elk had a starving time, while the -numerous flocks of sheep on summits escaped serious affliction. - -Evidently mountain sheep know their range and understand how to fight -the game of self-preservation in the mountain snows. The fact that -sheep spend their winters on the mountain summits would indicate that -they find a lower death rate and more comfort here than they could -find in the lowlands. - -The morning I started across Sawtooth Pass the snow was deep. A gray -sky and a few lazily falling snowflakes indicated that it might be -deepened. And soon the flakes were falling fast and the wind was -howling. Only between gusts could I see. But on I went, for it was -easier to advance than to retreat. - -I passed over the summit only to find the wind roaring wildly on the -other side. Abandoning the course of the snow-buried trail, I went -with the wind, being extremely careful to keep myself under control -lest the breezes boost me over an unexpected cliff. The temperature -was a trifle below zero, and I watched nose, fingers, and cheeks to -keep them from freezing. - -Two violent gusts drove me to shelter beneath a shelving rock. After -half a minute a long lull came and the air cleared of snow dust. There -within thirty feet of me were a number of mountain sheep. Two were -grazing in a space swept bare by the wind. Another was lying down, not -in shelter, but out in an exposed place. - -Then I caught sight of two lambs and I failed to see what the other -sheep were doing. Those lambs! They were in a place where the wind -hit violently, as the bare space around them showed. They were pushing -each other, butting their heads together, rearing up on their hind -legs. As I watched them another gust came roaring forward; they -stopped for a second and then rushed toward it. I caught my last -glimpse just as it struck them and they both leaped high to meet it. - -I was in the heights when a heavy snow came down and did not drift. It -lay deeply over everything except pinnacles and sharp ridges. I made a -number of snowshoe trips to see how sheep met this condition. During -the storm one flock had stood beneath an overhanging cliff. When the -snowfall ceased the sheep wallowed to the precipitous edge of the -plateau and at the risk of slipping overboard had travelled along an -inch or less wide footing for more than a mile. Where the summit -descended by steep slope they ventured out. Steepness and snow weight -before their arrival, perhaps with the assistance of their tramplings, -had caused the snow at the top to slip. As the slide thus started tore -to the bottom it scraped a wide swath free of snow. In this cleared -strip the sheep were feeding contentedly. - -Snowslides, large and small, often open emergency feeding spaces for -sheep. Long snowshoe excursions on the Continental Divide have often -brought me into the presence of mountain sheep in the snow. They are -brave, self-reliant, capable, and ever alert for every advantageous -opportunity or opening. - -One snowy time I searched the heights for hours without finding any -sheep. But in descending I found a number upon a narrow sunny ledge -that was free from snow; the trampling and the warmth of the sheep -probably had helped clear this ledge. Here they could find scanty -rations for a week or longer. I could not make out whether they had -spent the storm time here or had come to it afterward. - -In the heights are numerous ledges and knife-edge ridges on which but -little snow can lodge. The cracks and niches of these hold withered -grass, alpine plants, and moss, which afford an emergency food supply -that often has saved snow-bound sheep. - -Sheep are cool-headed fellows, as well befits those who are intimately -associated with precipices. But one day, while slowly descending a -steep slope, I unintentionally threw a flock into confusion. Bunched -and interested, they watched me approach within sixty or seventy feet. -I had been close to them before and this time while moving closer I -tried to manipulate my camera. An awkward exhibition of a fall -resulted. The sheep, lost in curiosity, fled without looking where -they leaped. The second bound landed them upon an icy pitch where -everyone lost footing, fell, and slid several yards to the bottom of -the slope. All regained their feet and in regular form ran off at high -speed. - -Accidents do befall them. Occasionally one tumbles to death or is -crushed by falling stone. Sometimes the weaker ones are unable to get -out of deep snow. On rare occasions a mountain lion comes upon them -and slays one or several, while they are almost helpless from weakness -or from crusted snow. A few times I have known of one or more to be -carried down to death by a snowslide. - -While the sheep do not have many neighbours, they do have sunny days. -Often the heights, for long periods, are sunny and snowless. Sometimes -a storm may rage for days down the slopes while the sheep, in or -entirely above the upper surface of the storm cloud, do not receive -any snow. Among their resident neighbours are the cony, the white -weasel, and flocks of rosy finches and white ptarmigan. In these the -sheep show no interest, but they keep on the watch for subtle foxes, -bob-cats, and lions. - -Snowfall, like rainfall, is unevenly distributed. At times a short -distance below the snow-piled heights one or both slopes are snowless; -at other times, the summits are bare while the lowlands are -overburdened with snow. Sheep appear quickly to discover and promptly -to use any advantage afforded by their range. - -One snowy winter an almost famished flock of sheep started for the -lowlands. Two thousand feet lower the earth in places lay brown and -snowless in the sun. Whether this condition led the sheep downward, or -whether the good condition of the lowland was unknown to them and they -came in desperation, I know not. Already weak, they did not get down -to timberline the first day. The night was spent against a cliff in -deep snow. The following morning a dead one was left at the foot of -the cliff and the others struggled on downward, bucking their way -through the deep snow. - -In snow the strongest one commonly leads. Sometimes sheep fight their -way through snow deeper than their backs. The leading one rears on -hind legs, extends front feet, leaps upward and forward, throwing -himself with a lunge upon the snow. At an enormous cost of energy they -slowly advance. - -The flock that fought its way downward from the heights took advantage -of outcropping rocks and, down in the woods, of logs which nearly -lifted them above the snow. Six of the eleven who left the heights at -last reached shallow snow where in a forest glade they remained for -nearly a month. - -One winter five sheep were caught in the lowlands by a deep snow. They -had started homeward with the coming of the storm but were fired on by -hunters and driven back. Becoming snowbound they took refuge in a -springy opening at the bottom of a forested slope. This open spot was -not a stone's throw across. It was overspread by outpouring spring -water which dissolved most of the snow. Here the sheep remained for -several weeks. This place not only afforded a moderate amount of food, -but in it they had enough freedom of movement successfully to resist -an attack of wolves. Apparently wolves do not attack sheep in their -wintry heights. Deer and elk as well as sheep have often made a stand -in a springy place of this kind. - -Sheep under normal conditions are serene and often playful. There -appears to be most play when the flock is united. Commonly they play -by twos, and in this play butt, push, feint, jump, and spar lightly -with horns, often rising to the vertical on hind legs. If a bout -becomes particularly lively the others pause to look on. They give -attention while something unusual is doing. One day I saw a flock -deliberately cross a snowdrift when they could easily have gone -around it. But the sheep were vigorous from good feed and a mild -winter and this snowdrift was across the game trail on which they were -slowly travelling. - -No wild animal grass eater excels the bighorn sheep in climbing skill, -alertness, endurance, and playfulness. They thrive on the winds and -rations of the heights. Generally the sheep carry more fat when spring -comes than the deer that winter down in the shelter of the woods or in -the lowlands. Any healthy animal, human or wild, who understands the -woodcraft of winter lives happily when drifts the snow. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE CLOWN OF THE PRAIRIES - - -Nine healthy coyote puppies were playing in the sunshine with all -their might. After days of searching I had at last discovered their -den. The puppies had not noticed me and I enjoyed watching their -training for the game of life. They wrestled, played at fighting, -rolled over and over, bit at one another's feet and tails, and -occasionally all mixed in one merry heap. - -Their mother came along the hillside above the den. She walked back -and forth on the skyline where I could not miss seeing her. Then she -came nearer and passed within thirty or forty feet of me. I kept my -eyes upon the puppies and pretended not to see their mother. She -turned and passed still closer to me. This time she was limping badly -on one forefoot and holding up one hind foot. She was making every -effort to have me follow her--to lure me away from her home and her -puppies. - -A moving object down the slope caught the attention of the puppies. As -soon as they made out what this was they scampered racing away. -Going only a short distance, they sat down, as though at a dead line. -Evidently there is a small zone of safety surrounding the den beyond -which the puppies are not allowed to go. At this moment Mr. Coyote -appeared, from down the slope, with a jack rabbit in his jaws. He was -coming quickly along and had not suspected my presence. How eagerly -the puppies watched him! As he came up they commenced snapping and -tearing at the rabbit he carried. Mrs. Coyote hastily joined them, and -all scurried into the den. The following morning the den was deserted. -It is common for coyotes to move their puppies promptly to another den -when they think they are discovered. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Beaver Canal_] - - [Illustration: _A New Beaver Dam_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _The Mountain Lion_] - -Another mother coyote decoyed me into watching a vacant den. Her -children were in another den a quarter of a mile away. In carrying -food to them she went out of her way to enter the vacant den, then -left it by a different entrance and proceeded by a circuitous route to -the waiting puppies. Both of the old coyotes hunt and carry food to -the den for their puppies. - -Repeatedly I have seen a mother or a father coyote lure a hunter or -trapper away from the den or spot where the young were hidden. I have -also seen one or more coyotes stay near a crippled coyote as though -taking care of him, and endeavour to lure away any hunter who -approached. - -Someone has said that a beautiful coyote hide wraps up more deviltry -than any other hide of equal dimensions stretched over an animated -form. His successful cunning and his relentless ways of getting a -living cause him to be cursed by those whom he plunders. But he is -always interesting and appears to enjoy life even in the midst of lean -times. - -The coyote is the Clown of the Prairie. He is wise, cynical, and a -good actor. He has a liking for action and adventure. He really is a -happy fellow, something of a philosopher and full of wit. - -I have seen a coyote look at a deserted and tumble-down building and -strike an attitude of mockery at the failures of man. Sometimes he -catches a chicken while the family is away; and, carrying this to the -back porch to feast, leaves the unconsumed feathers there. Two nights -a coyote raided a settler's hen roost and each time left the feathers -near my camp. I was ordered out of the country! - -Once I tried for more than half a day to get a picture of a coyote. He -appeared to know that I was unarmed and harmless, and allowed me to -approach moderately close, but not quite close enough. At last he -laid down by a cliff and pretended to go to sleep. When I came almost -near enough to photograph him he rose, looked at me, yawned as though -bored, and ran away. A common prank of his is to lure a dog from a -camp or ranch to a point where the coyote is safe, then to pounce upon -the dog and chase him back in confusion. - -As I sat one day on a hillside, watching the antics of calves among a -herd of cattle, two coyotes trotted into the scene. They caused no -alarm and did not receive even a second look from the cattle. Slowly -and knowingly the coyotes walked here and there among them, as though -selecting a victim or looking for one whose days were numbered. Near -me was a crippled old cow that plainly did not have long to live. The -instant the coyotes came within view of her one of them sat down, -plainly satisfied with the outlook; and the other laid down with the -easy, contemptuous air of a cynic before a waiting feast. To add to -the effectiveness of the scene a number of magpies, which usually are -watchful enough to arrive first at any promised feast, joined them. - -On an Arizona desert I saw two coyotes walking along apparently -without any heads. What scheme are they up to now? was my first -thought as I stood looking at this magic scene. But off on the desert -was a suspended lake mirage. Two coyotes appeared just beneath the -near edge, their heads completely lost in the mirage, their headless -bodies walking--a most startling exhibit, even for a desert. - -The coyote has a peculiar mental make-up. He has all the keen -alertness of the wolf and the audacious cunning of the fox. His -fox-like face at times takes on a serio-comic expression. At other -times he has a most expectant look as he sits and watches, or listens, -with head tilted on one side and sharp ears pointing slightly forward. -He has actions, characteristics, and attitudes that make him excel -even the fox for the purpose of fable making. - -There are numerous Indian myths concerning the coyote; in fact, he -takes the place the fox has in primitive European folklore. Numerous -tribes pay the coyote tribute in daily food. Their belief accredits -him with the audacity and the cunning to seize fire from forbidden -sources and deliver this enduring comfort to the fireless red men. -Among most Indian tribes he is regarded with favour. Many Indian dogs -are descendants of the coyote. - -The coyote is a small, fleet-footed, keen-witted animal, tawny or -yellowish brown in colour. He is, of course, a wolf; but he is only a -little more than half the weight of his large relative, the gray -wolf. Originally he was scattered over most of North America. Though -scientifically classified into a number of species and sub-species, -they are very much alike in colour and habit. - -The home range of the coyote is rarely ten miles across, except on the -margin of mountains where sometimes it is twice this. In many -localities a pair will have three or four square miles to themselves; -in other localities there are a few pairs to the square mile. - -Coyotes probably mate for life. A pair commonly hunt together, though -each often hunts alone. They are said to live from eight to fifteen -years. I kept track of one for eight years, who appeared mature when I -first met him and showed no signs of decay when I saw him last. - -The coyote usually lies up in a den when not hunting; but at times he -simply hides in underbrush or in ravines. A den I measured lay nearly -four feet below the surface and had a length of fourteen feet. It was -expanded into a room-like place near the farther end and there were a -number of small pockets extending from it. The den may be made by the -coyotes themselves or it may be the den of a badger which they have -re-shaped. Occasionally they take advantage of cave-like places -between large stones. The den commonly is in an out-of-the-way place -and the entrance to it is concealed by stones or bushes. - -Coyotes often have three or more dens. A change is probably helpful in -keeping down parasites, and I am certain that their use of more than -one den confuses and defeats their pursuers. Many a man has dug into a -coyote's den and found it empty when only the day before he had seen -it used by the entire family. - -The young are born in April or May, in litters of from five to ten. -They grow rapidly and in a few weeks show all the cunning ways and -playfulness of puppies. When safe they spend hours outside the den, -wrestling, digging, or sleeping in the sun. In two dens I examined -each youngster had a separate compartment or pocket for himself; and, -judging from claw marks, probably he had dug this himself. In July the -youngsters are taken out into the world, where they learn the tactics -of wresting a living from the fields. - -The coyote is a swift runner and easily outstrips the gray wolf. The -average horse cannot catch him and probably the greyhound is the only -dog that can overtake him. Swift as he is, however, the jack rabbit -and the antelope leave him behind. - -Coyotes often hunt in pairs and occasionally in packs. When hunting -in pairs one will leisurely hunt, or pretend to be hunting, in plain -view of a prairie dog or other animal. While this active coyote holds -the attention of the victim the other slips close and rushes or -springs upon it. They often save their legs and their lives with their -brains; they succeed by stealth instead of sheer physical endurance. - -Antelopes, rabbits, and other animals are frequently captured by -several coyotes taking part in the chase. Commonly they scatter in a -rude circle and run in relays. Those near the place toward which the -animal is running lie in concealment close to its probable course. As -the victim weakens all unite to pull it down and are present at the -feast. - -They are not always successful, however. I have seen jack rabbits -break the circle and escape across the prairie. Two pursuing coyotes -quickly gave up the race with an antelope when it turned at a sharp -angle and struck off at increased speed. A deer, which several coyotes -had frightened into running, suddenly stopped in a little opening -surrounded by bushes. Here he put up such an effective and successful -fight that two of the attackers received broken ribs and the others -drew off. - -An antelope on the Wyoming plains started several times for water, -but, without reaching it, turned and hurried back to the starting -place. Going closer I discovered that she had a young kid with her. -This was being watched by a near-by coyote. A part of the time he laid -near. If the antelope drove him off he at once returned and paced back -and forth dangerously near the kid. Some animal had already secured -one of her young, and I fear that the coyote wore the mother out and -feasted on the other. - -The gray wolf often kills wantonly--kills for fun, when food is not -needed. Rarely, I think, does the coyote do this. In times of plenty -he becomes an actor and gives plays and concerts; but if fate provides -an excess of food he is likely to cache or store it. A miner lost half -a sheep from his pack horse. Half an hour later I went along his trail -and discovered a coyote burying a part of this, covering it by means -of his nose, like a dog. He had eaten to roundness and had nothing in -his outlines to suggest the lean wolf. - -He eats about everything that has any food value--meat, fruit, -grasses, and vegetables in all stages of greenness and ripeness. He -has the bad habit of killing young big game; capturing birds and -robbing their nests; raiding barnyards for chickens, ducks, and -turkeys; and sometimes he feeds on sheep and occasionally kills a -calf. Often he catches a fish or frog, eats roots, tender shoots, or -has a feast of fruit or melons. - -The coyote is wise enough to keep near the trail and camp of hunters -and trappers. Here he gets many a rich meal of camp scraps and -cast-off parts of killed animals. I have known him to travel with a -mountain lion and to follow the trail of a bear. In certain localities -the chipmunks retire in autumn to their holes, fat and drowsy, and -temporarily fall into a heavy sleep. Before the earth is frozen they -are energetically dug out by the coyotes. But this is only one of the -many bits of natural history known and made use of by the coyote. - -But the coyote's food habits are not all bad. At some time in every -locality, and in a few localities at all times, he has a high rank in -economic biology, and may be said to cooperate silently with the -settlers in eradicating damaging pests. He is especially useful in -fruit-growing sections. He is at the head of the list of -mouse-catching animals. He is a successful ratter, and is the terror -of prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and rabbits. - -If scavengers are helpful, then he is a useful member of society. He -has a liking for carcasses, no matter how smelly or ancient. I once -saw a coyote feeding on a dead mule along with ravens and buzzards. He -did appear to be a trifle ashamed of his companions; for, though he -seeks adventure and is almost a soldier of fortune, he has a pride -that does not sanction indiscriminate associates. - -He is commonly considered a coward; but this does not appear to be a -proper classification of his characteristics. Being shy and cautious -is the very price of his existence. He displays both courage and -fighting blood whenever there is anything to be gained by such -display. Rarely is it cowardly to avoid being a target for the deadly -long-range rifle or to slip away from an attack by dogs at -overwhelming odds. Recklessness and rashness do not constitute -bravery. - -The coyote constantly uses his wits. In a Utah desert I often saw him -watching the flights of buzzards. If the buzzards came down, the -coyote made haste to be among those at the feast. In returning from a -far-off expedition on plain or desert he seems to be guided by -landmarks; appears to recognize striking objects seen before and to -use them as guide posts. - -That he is mentally above the average animal is shown in the quickness -with which he adjusts himself to changes or to the demands of his -environment. If constantly pursued with gun, dogs, and traps he -becomes most wary; but if no one in the neighbourhood attempts to swat -him he shows himself at close range, and is often bold. - -Near Canyon City, Colorado, an apple grower showed me a three-legged -coyote that used his orchard. The coyote had been about for four or -five years and was quite tame. He was fed on scraps and was wise -enough to stay in the small zone of safety round the house. - -But the coyote never forgets. His keen senses and keen wits appear to -be always awake, even though surroundings have long been friendly. For -a time I stayed at an isolated cattle ranch upon which hunting was -forbidden. But one day a man carrying a gun strolled into the field. -While he was still a quarter of a mile away the coyotes became -watchful and alarmed. To me the appearance of the man and gun differed -little from that of the men carrying fishing poles; but the wise -coyotes either scented or could distinguish the gun. Presently all -hurried away. While the gunner remained, at least one of the coyotes -sat where he could overlook the field. But all came strolling back -within a few minutes after the gunner left. - -In western Wyoming, not far from a ranch house, were three small -hills. On these the wolves and coyotes frequently gathered and howled. -One day a number of traps were set on each of these hills. That -evening the wolves and coyotes had their usual serenade; but they -gathered in the depressions between the hills. Quickly they adjusted -themselves to the new conditions, with "Safety first!" always the -determining factor. - -The coyote has a remarkable voice. It gives him a picturesque part. -Usually his spoken efforts are in the early evening; more rarely in -early morning. Often a number, in a pack or widely separated, will -engage in a concert. It is a concert of clowns; in it are varying and -changing voices; all the breaks in the evening song are filled with -startling ventriloquistic effects. The voice may be thrown in many -directions and over varying distances at once, so that the sounds are -multiplied, and the efforts of two or three coyotes seem like those of -a numerous and scattered pack. - -However, the coyote uses his voice for other things than pleasure. He -has a dialect with which he signals his fellows; he warns them of -dangers and tells of opportunities; he asks for information and calls -for assistance. He is constantly saving himself from danger or -securing his needed food by cooperating with his fellows. These united -efforts are largely possible through his ability to express the -situation with voice and tongue. - -Through repetition a coyote's signals are ofttimes relayed for miles. -A leader mounts a lonely butte and proclaims his orders over the -silent prairie. This proclamation is answered by repeating coyotes a -mile or more away. Farther away, at all points of the compass, it is -repeated by others. And so, within a fraction of a minute, most of the -coyotes within a radius of miles have the latest news or the latest -orders. - -Sometimes the stratum of air above the prairie is a mellow -sounding-board; it clearly and unresistingly transmits these wild -wireless calls far across the ravines and hills of the prairie. The -clear notes of a single coyote often ring distinctly across a radius -of two or three miles. When groups congregate in valley concerts all -the air between the near and the far-off hills vibrates with the wild, -varying melody. This may reach a climax in a roar like the wind, then -break up into a many-voiced yelping. - -I love to hear the shoutings and the far-off cries of the coyote. -These elemental notes are those of pure gladness and wildness. To me -they are not melancholy. Their rollicking concerts remind me of the -merry efforts of live boys. - -The calls of the coyote have a distinct place in the strangeness and -wildness of the Great Plains. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE BLACK BEAR--COMEDIAN - - -A black bear came into a United States Survey camp one Sunday -afternoon while all the men were lounging about, and walked into the -cook's tent. The cook was averse to bears; he tried to go through the -rear of the tent at a place where there was no door. The tent went -down on him and the bear. The bear, confused and not in the habit of -wearing a tent, made a lively show of it--a sea in a storm--as he -struggled to get out. - -All were gathered round and watched the bear emerge from beneath the -tent and climb a tree. Out on the first large limb he walked. He -looked down on us somewhat puzzled and inclined to be playful. - -This was at the Thumb in the Yellowstone National Park, in the summer -of 1891. I was the boy of the party. For some years I had been -interested in wild life, and while in the Park I used every -opportunity to study tree and animal life. I frequently climbed trees -to examine the fruit they bore, to learn about the insects that were -preying on them or the birds that were eating the insects. I was -naturally nicknamed the Tree Climber. There was now a unanimous call -for the Tree Climber to go up and get the bear down! - -Of course no one wants to climb a tree when it is full of bears. But -at last I was persuaded to climb a tree near the one in which the bear -reposed and try to rout him out. He had climbed up rapidly head -foremost. He went down easily tail foremost. The instant he touched -the earth there was such a yelling and slapping of coats that for a -time the bear was confused as to whether he should fight or frolic. He -decided to climb again. But in his confusion he took the wrong tree. -He climbed up beneath me! - -From long experience since that time I now realize that the bear -simply wanted to romp, for he was scarcely more than one year of age. -The black bear is neither ferocious nor dangerous. The most fitting -name I have ever heard given him is The Happy Hooligan of the Woods. -He is happy-go-lucky, and taking thought of the morrow is not one of -his troubles. - -The most surprising pranks I ever saw were those of a pet cub. During -one of my rambles in the mountains of Colorado I came to the cabin of -an eccentric prospector who always had some kind of a pet. On this -occasion it was a black bear cub. The cub was so attached to the place -that unchained he stayed or played near by all day while his master -was away at work. - -With moccasined feet I approached the cabin quietly, and the first -knowledge I had of the cub was his spying my approach from behind a -tree in the rear of the cabin. He was standing erect, with his body -concealed behind the tree; only a small bit of his head and an eye -were visible. As I approached him he moved round, keeping the tree -between us. - -Finally he climbed up several feet; and as I edged round he sidled -about like a squirrel, and though always peeking at me, kept his body -well concealed on the opposite side of the tree. On my going to the -front of the cabin he descended; and when I glanced round the front -corner to see him, he was peeking round the rear corner at me. - -As I had kept up a lively, pleasant conversation all this time, he -evidently concluded that I was friendly, and, like a boy, proceeded to -show off. Near by stood a barrel upright, with the top missing. Into -this the bear leaped and then deliberately overturned it on the steep -slope. Away down hill rolled the barrel at a lively pace with the bear -inside. Thrusting out his forepaws he guided the course of the barrel -and controlled its speed. - -Once while two black bear cubs were fleeing before a forest fire they -paused and true to their nature had a merry romp. Even the threatening -flames could not make them solemn. Each tried to prevent the other -from climbing a tree that stood alone in the open; round it they -clinched, cuffed, and rolled so merrily that the near-by wild folk -were attracted and momentarily forgot their fears. - -The black bear has more human-like traits than any other animal I -know. He is a boy in disguise, will not work long at anything unless -at something to produce mischief. Occasionally he finds things dull, -like a shut-in boy or a boy with a task to perform, and simply does -not know what to do with himself--he wants company. - -He is shy and bashful as a child. He plans no harm. He does not eat -bad children; nor does he desire to do so. Nothing would give him -greater delight than to romp with rollicking, irrepressible children -whose parents have blackened his character. - -In other words, the black bear is just the opposite in character of -what he has long been and still is almost universally thought to be. A -million written and spoken stories have it that he is ferocious--a -wanton, cruel killer. He fights or works only when compelled to do so. -He is not ferocious. He avoids man as though he were a pestilence. - -One day in climbing out on a cliff I accidentally dislodged a huge -rock. This as it fell set a still larger rock going. The second rock -in its hurtling plunge struck a tree in which a young black bear was -sleeping. As the tree came to the earth the bear made haste to scamper -up the nearest tree. But unfortunately the one up which he raced had -lost its top by the same flying ton of stone, and he was able to get -only a few yards above the earth. - -To get him to come down I procured a long pole and prodded him easily. -At first, on the defensive, he slapped and knocked the pole to right -and left. He was plainly frightened and being cornered was determined -to fight. I proceeded gently and presently he calmed down and began -playing with the pole. He played just as merrily as ever a kitten -played with a moving, tickling twig or string. - -The black bear is the most plausible bluffer I have ever seen. His -hair bristling, upper lip stuck forward, and onrushing with a rapid -volley of champing K-woof-f-f's, he appears terrible. He pulls himself -out of many a predicament and obtains many an unearned morsel in this -way. Most of his bluffs are for amusement; he will go far out of his -way for the purpose of running one. In any case, if the bluff is -ineffective--and most often it is--he moves on with unbelievable -indifference at the failure, and in a fraction of a second is so -interested in something else, or so successfully pretends to be, that -the bluff might have been yesterday judging from his appearance. -Often, like a boy, he has a merry or a terrible make-believe time, in -which the bluff is exhibited. - -Bears are fond of swimming, and during the summer often go for a -plunge in a stream or lake. This is followed by a sunning on the earth -or an airing in a treetop. - -The grizzly does not climb trees, but the black bear climbs almost as -readily as a cat. With its cat-like forepaws it can simply race up a -tree trunk. He climbs a small pole or a large tree with equal ease. - -The black bear might be called a perching animal. Much of his time, -both asleep and awake, is spent in treetops. Often he has a special -tree, and he may use this tree for months or even years. When closely -pursued by dogs, or the near-by appearance of a grizzly, or if -anything startling happen, instantly a black bear climbs a tree. The -black bear is afraid of the grizzly. - -In case of danger or when leaving on a long foraging expedition the -mother usually sends her cubs up a tree. They faithfully remain in the -tree until she returns. One day in Wild Basin, Colorado, while -watching a mother and two cubs feeding on travelling ants, the mother -quietly raised her head then pointed her nose at the cubs. Though -there was not a sound the cubs instantly, though unwillingly, started -toward the foot of a tree. The mother raised her forepaws as though to -go toward them. At that the cubs made haste toward the tree. At the -bottom they hesitated; then the mother with rush and champing Whoof! -simply sent them flying up the trunk. Then she walked away into the -woods. - -In the treetop the cubs remained for hours, not once descending to the -earth. It was a lodgepole pine sixty or seventy feet away and several -feet lower than my stand, on the side of a moraine. For some minutes -the cubs stood on the branches looking in the direction in which their -mother had disappeared. They explored the entire tree, climbing -everywhere on the branches, then commenced racing and playing through -the treetop. - -At times their actions were very cat-like; now and then squirrel-like; -frequently they were very monkey-like; but at all times lively, -interesting, and bear-like. Occasionally they climbed and started -wrestling far out on a limb. Sometimes they fell off, but caught a -limb below with their claws, and without a pause, swung up again or -else dropped to another limb. Once they scrambled down the trunk -within a few feet of the bottom; and as they raced up again the lower -one snapped at the hind legs of the upper one and finally, attaching -himself to the other with a forepaw, pulled him loose from the tree -trunk. The upper one thus exchanged places with the lower one and the -lively scramble up the trunk continued. - -After a while one curled up in a place where three or four limbs -intersected the tree trunk and went to sleep. The other went to sleep -on his back on a flattened limb near the top of the tree. - -Realizing that the cubs would stay in the tree, no matter what -happened, I concluded to capture them. Though they had been having -lively exercise for two hours they were anything but exhausted. -Climbing into the tree I chased them round from the bottom to the top; -from the top out on limbs, and from limbs to the bottom--but was -unable to get within reach of them. - -Several times I drove one out on top of a limb and then endeavoured to -shake him off and give him a tumble to the earth. A number of times I -braced myself on a near-by large limb and shook with all my might. -Often I was able to move the end of the limb rapidly back and forth, -but the cubs easily clung on. At times they had hold with only one -paw--occasionally with only a single claw; but never could I shake -them free. - -The affair ended by my cutting a limb--to which a cub was -clinging--nearly off with my hatchet. Suddenly breaking the remaining -hold of the limb I tossed it and the tenacious little cub out, -tumbling toward the earth. The cub struck the earth lightly, and -before I had fully recovered from nearly tumbling after him came -scrambling up the tree trunk beneath me! - -One spring day while travelling in the mountains I paused in a whirl -of mist and wet snow to look for the trail. I could see only a few -feet ahead. As I looked closely a bear emerged from the gloom heading -straight for me. Behind her were two cubs. I caught an impatient -expression when she first saw me. She stopped, and with a growl of -anger wheeled and boxed the cubs right and left like a worried, -unpoised mother. They vanished in the direction from which they had -come, the cubs being urged on with lively spanks. - -Like most animals, the black bear has a local habitation. His -territory is twenty miles or less in circumference. In this territory -he is likely to spend his years, but in springtime he may descend to -feed on the earliest wild gardens of the foothills. I have tracked -black bears across mountain passes, and on one occasion I found a bear -track on the summit of Long's Peak. - -The black bear eats everything that is edible, although his food is -mainly that of a vegetarian. He digs out rich willow and aspen roots -in the shallow and soft places, and tears up numerous plants for their -roots or tubers. He eats grass and devours hundreds of juicy weeds. In -summer he goes miles to berry patches and with the berries browses off -a few inches of thorny bush; he bites off the end of a plum-tree limb -and consumes it along with its leaves and fruit. - -During summer I have seen him on the edge of snowfields and glaciers -consuming thousands of unfortunate grasshoppers, flies, and other -insects there accumulated. He is particularly fond of ants--tears ant -hills to pieces and licks up the ants as they come storming forth to -bite him. He tears hundreds of rotten logs and stumps to pieces for -grubs, ants and their eggs. He freely eats honey, the bees and their -nests. He often amuses himself and makes a most amusing and man-like -spectacle by chasing and catching grasshoppers. - -In a fish country he searches for fish and occasionally catches live -ones; but he is too restless or shiftless to be a good fisherman. I -have seen him catch fish by thrusting his nose in root entanglements -in the edge of a brook; sometimes he captures salmon or trout that are -struggling through shallow ripples. - -Occasionally he catches a rabbit or a bird. But most of his meat is -stale, with the killing of which he had nothing to do. He will devour -carrion that has the accumulated smell of weeks of corruption. He -catches more mice than a cat; and in the realm of economic biology he -should be rated as useful. He consumes many other pests. - -The black bear is--or was--pretty well distributed over North America. -His colour and activities vary somewhat with the locality, this being -due perhaps to a difference of climate and food supply. - -Everywhere, however, he is very much the same. Wherever found he has -the hibernating habit. This is most developed in the colder -localities. Commonly he is fat at the close of autumn; and as a -preliminary to his long winter rest he makes a temporary nest where -for a few days he fasts and sleeps. - -With his stomach completely empty he retires into hibernating quarters -for the winter. This place may be dug beneath the base of a fallen -tree, close to the upturned roots, or a rude cave between immense -rocks, or a den beneath a brush heap. Sometimes he sleeps on the bare -earth or on the rocks of a cave; but he commonly claws into his den a -quantity of litter or trash, then crawls into this and goes to sleep. -The time of his retiring for the winter varies with the latitude; but -usually all bears of the same locality retire at about the same date, -early December being the most common time. - -The grizzly bear is more particular in his choice of sleeping quarters -and desires better protection and concealment than the black bear. -Bears sometimes come forth in fair weather for a few hours and -possibly for a few days. I have known them to come out briefly in -mid-winter. - -With the coming of spring--anywhere between the first of March and the -middle of May--the bears emerge, the males commonly two weeks or more -earlier than the females. Usually they at once journey down the -mountain. They eat little or nothing for the first few days. They are -likely to break their fast with the tender shoots of willow, grass, -and sprouting roots, or a bite of bark from a pine. - -The cubs are born about mid-winter. Commonly there are three at a -birth, but the number varies from one to four. At the time of birth -these tiny, helpless little bears rarely weigh more than half a pound. -I suppose if they were larger their mother would not be able to -nourish them, on account of having to endure the hibernating fast for -a month or so after their birth. - -In May, when the cubs and their mother emerge from the dark den, the -cubs are most cunning, and lively little balls of fur they are! By -this time they are about the weight and size of a cottontail rabbit. -In colour they may be black, cinnamon, or cream. - -As with the grizzly, the colour has nothing to do with the species. -With black bears, however, if the fur is black his claws are also -black; or if brown the claws match the colour of the fur. With the -grizzly the colour of claws and fur often do not match. - -Few more interesting exhibitions of play are to be seen than that of -cubs with their mother. Often, for an hour at a time, the mother lies -in a lazy attitude and allows the cubs to romp all over her and maul -her to their hearts' content. - -The mother will defend her cubs with cunning, strength, and utmost -bravery. Nothing is more pathetic in the wild world than the -attachment shown by the actions of the whimpering cubs over the body -of their dead mother. They will struggle with utmost desperation to -prevent being torn away from it. - -In the majority of cases the mother appears to wean the cubs during -the first autumn of their lives. The cubs then den up together that -winter. In a number of cases, whenever the cubs are not weaned until -the second autumn, they are certain to den up with their mother the -first winter. The second winter the young den up together. Though -eager for play, brother and sister cubs do not play together after the -second summer. When older than two years they play alone or with other -bears of the same age. - -Young black bears have good tempers and are playful in captivity. But -if teased or annoyed they become troublesome and even dangerous with -age. If thine enemy offend thee present him with a black bear cub that -has been mistreated. He is an intense, high-strung animal, and if -subjected to annoyances, teasing, or occasional cruelty, becomes -revengeful and vindictive. Sometimes he will even look for trouble, -and once in a fight has the tenacity of a bulldog. - -Two bears that I raised were exceedingly good-tempered and never -looked for trouble. I have known other similar instances. I am -inclined to conclude that with uniformly kind treatment the black bear -would always have a kind disposition. - -For a year or two a dissipated cruiser and his loyal black bear were -familiar figures in the West. The pranks of the bear easily brought -drinks enough to enable the cruiser to be drunk most of the time. Many -times, when going to my room in the early morning after work on a -night shift, I found the cruiser asleep in the street entrance to my -lodging house. The faithful bear--Tar Baby--sat by the cruiser's side, -patiently waiting for his awakening. - -The black bear has a well-developed brain and may be classed among the -alert animals of the wild. Its senses are amazingly developed; they -seem to be ever on duty. When a possible enemy is yet a mile or so -distant they receive by scent or by sound a threatening and wireless -message on the moving or through the stationary air. Therefore it is -almost impossible to approach closely a wild bear. - -With the black bear, as with every living thing, every move calls for -safety first; and this exceedingly alert animal is among the very -first to appreciate a friendly locality. - -The black bear has never been protected as a game animal; through all -the seasons of the year, with gun and dogs, the hunter is allowed to -pursue him. As he is verging on extinction, and as he gives to the -wilds much of its spirit, there ought to be a closed season for a few -years to protect this rollicking fellow of the forest. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ON WILD LIFE TRAILS - - -A skunk passed by me going down the trail. In sight was a black bear -coming up. Which of these wilderness fellows would give or be forced -to give the right-of-way? There must be trail rights. I sat near the -trail an innocent and concealed by-stander--a bump on a log--wondering -about the wilderness etiquette for the occasion. - -The black bear is happy-go-lucky. This one was pre-occupied until -within two lengths of the skunk. A three-length side-leap and he stood -watchful and ready to escape. The solemn, slow-moving skunk held the -right-of-way and passed by without a turn of his head toward the -curious and watching black bear. The skunk ever has his own way. His -influence is most far reaching. - -The wilderness has a web of wild life trails. Many of these are dim. -The unobserved of all observers, I often sat in hiding close to a -worn, much-trampled wild life trail--a highway--where it crossed a -high point. - -Before me just at sunrise a grizzly and a mountain lion met. The -grizzly--the dignified master of the wilds--was shuffling along, going -somewhere. He saw the lion afar but shuffled indifferently on. Within -fifty feet the lion bristled and, growling, edged unwillingly from the -trail. At the point of passing he was thirty feet from his -trail-treading foe. With spitting, threatening demonstration he dashed -by; while the unmoved, interested grizzly saw everything as he -shuffled on, except that he did not look back at the lion which turned -to show teeth and to watch him disappear. - -It was different the day the grizzly met a skunk. This grizzly, as I -knew from tracking him, was something of an adventurer. His home -territory was more than forty miles to the southeast. He had travelled -this trail a number of times. On mere notion sometimes he turned back -and ambled homeward. - -But this day the grizzly saw the slow-walking skunk coming long -minutes before the black and white toddler with shiny plume arrived. -The skunk is known and deferred to by wild folk big and little. -Regardless of his trail rights the grizzly went on to a siding to -wait. This siding which he voluntarily took was some fifty feet from -the trail. Here the grizzly finally sat down. He waited and waited for -the easy-going skunk to arrive and pass. - -The approaching presence of the solemn, slow-going skunk was too much -and the grizzly just could not help playing the clown. He threw a -somersault; he rolled over. Then, like a young puppy, he sat on an -awkwardly held body to watch the skunk pass. He pivoted his head to -follow this unhastening fellow who was as dead to humour as the log by -the trail. - -Along the trail friend meets friend, foe meets enemy, stranger meets -stranger, they linger, strangers not again. The meetings may be -climaxes, produce clashes, or friendly contact; and in the passing -high-brows and common folks rub elbows. To meet or not to meet ever is -the question with them. - -One old trail which I many times watched was on a ridge between two -deep canyons. At the west the ridge expanded into the Continental -Divide and the trail divided into dimmer footways. The east end -terraced and the trail divided. Stretches of the trail were pine -shadowed, spaces were in sunlight. - -Where the trail went over a summit among the scattered trees -travellers commonly paused for a peep ahead. Often, too, they waited -and congested, trampling a wide stretch bare and often to dust. On -this summit were scoutings, lingerings, and fighting. Lowlanders and -highlanders, singly, in pairs and in strings, stamped the dust with -feet shod in hoofs or in claws and pads. - -One of the meetings of two grizzlies which I witnessed was on this -ridge trail. A steady rain was falling. Each saw the other coming in -the distance and each gave the right-of-way as though accidentally, by -showing interest in fallen logs and boulder piles away from the trail. -Each ludicrously pretending not to see the other, finally a passing -was achieved, the trail regained without a salute. - -A meeting of two other grizzlies revealed a different though a common -form. Each saw the other coming but each held to the trail. At less -than a length apart both rose and roared--feigned surprise--and -soundly blamed the other for the narrowly averted and well-nigh -terrible collision. But no delay for the last word. Each well pleased -with the meeting hastened on, too wise to look back. - -One day nothing came along this highway and I looked at the tracks in -the wide, dusty trail. The multitude of tracks in it overlapped and -overlaid each other. A grizzly track, like the footprint of a shoeless -primitive man, was stamped with deer tracks, stitched and threaded -with mice tails and tracks and scalloped with wolf toes. But its -individuality was there. - -For three days I had been a bump on a log by this place and no big -travellers had passed. The birds, chipmunks, and a squirrel were -entertaining as ever, but I had hoped for something else. I had just -started for camp when dimly through the trees I saw something coming -down the trail. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _The Prairie Dog_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by E. R. Warren_ - _The Cony_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Looking for Small Favours_] - -A dignified grizzly and a number of pompous, stiff-necked rams met and -were so filled with curiosity that everyone forgot reserve and good -form. They stopped and turned for looks at one another and thus merged -a rude, serious affair into a slowly passing, successful meeting. - -I sometimes sat at a point on this ridge trail so that the passing -animal was in silhouette. The background was a lone black spruce -against the shifting sky scenery. Horns and whiskers, coats of many -colours, and exhibits of leg action went by. Horned heads, -short-arched necks, and held-in chins abundantly told of pride and -pomposity. But the character topography was in each back line. From -nose tip to tail, plateau, canyon, hill, and slope stories stood -against the sky. - -The tail, though last, was the character clue to the passing figure. -Regardless of curve, kink, or incline, it ever was story revealing: -sometimes long and flowing, but the short tail attitude incited most -imaginative interest in the attached individual. - -From treetop I watched one trail where it was crossed by a stream. -Generally deer and sheep went through the stream without a stop. In -it bears often rolled. Sometimes they used the wilderness bridge--the -beaver dam, and occasionally they splashed through the pond. Coyotes, -porcupine, squirrels, rabbits, and lynx used the dam. A porcupine -backed a lynx off this into the water, the lynx threatening and -spitting. But the lynx met a rabbit near the other end and the rabbit -went back with the lynx. - -A grizzly was about to cross when three fun-loving grizzly cubs -appeared. He stood aside and watched, perhaps enjoyed, their pranks in -the water before coming across. On the bank the cubs hesitated for a -moment before passing a sputtering squirrel who was denouncing them -for youthful pranks. A few inches of the first snow was on the ground. -I went back along the trail and examined tracks. At one point a lion -had come out of the woods and given the cubs a scare; and still -farther back they had stood on hind feet one behind the other, -evidently watching a black bear go well around them. - -Two flocks of bighorn mountain sheep passed by in single file like two -lines of proud, set wooden figures. One of these flocks was down from -the heights to visit a far-off salt lick. The other evidently was -returning to its local territory on the high range by a circuitous -route after being driven off by hunters. A few days later I saw these -flocks meet on a high plateau. They stopped to visit. Then one flock -turned back with the other and both edged over to an outlook rim of -the plateau where I left them, racing and playing in the on-coming -darkness. - -In numberless places I saw a single wild fellow meet his species. Two -coyotes advanced bristling and passed snarling. Another time two -coyotes met, eyed, and then turned off in the woods together. Two wild -cats advanced with declaration of war, made the forest aisles hideous -with whoops and threats, struck attitudes which go with blood and -gore--but nothing happened. Two squirrels approached, each loudly -demanding the right-of-way. They blustered, backed-up, threatened, -raced tempestuously up and down trees, and finally boastingly passed. - -Many a time two rabbits speeded silently by without a slowing, a -signal, or a look. Others kicked as they passed. One mid-winter day -two rabbits leaped to meet mid-air; then like bucking bronchos they -leaped high for action and like miniature mules turned here and there -to kick at the target with two feet. If this was fight or frolic only -rabbits know. - -It often happened that the breeze was favourable and I watched the -passing processions from my camp. Near camp two otters met and turned -aside and later I followed their trail to otter slide. Two woodchucks -met by a boulder on which I sat quietly. They counter-marched in half -war-like half circles. A pause, then with apparently friendly -negotiations progressing, they discovered a coyote slipping toward -them. - -Many times through the years I waited for odd hours, and days, at a -promising place on a trail a few miles from my cabin. The tracks along -this showed it to be in constant use, but never have I seen a -traveller pass along it. My being at many a meeting elsewhere was just -a coincidence. Years of wilderness wanderings often made me almost by -chance an uninvited guest--I was among those present. - -Dull fellows well met were skunk and porcupine. These dull-brained but -efficiently armed fellows are conceded the right-of-way by -conventional wilderness folk. They blundered to head-on clash. Never -before had this occurred. Each was surprised and wrathy. There was a -gritting of teeth. Each pushed and became furious. Then the skunk -received several quills in the side and in turn the porcupine a dash -of skunk spray. Both abandoned the trail, sadder but not wiser. - -Deer, bear, beavers, and wolves travel because they need to do so, or -for the fun of it. Deer shift for miles from a summer to a winter -range, travelling a regular migration route. A number of enemy wolves -may follow this moving food supply. Beavers may be seeking a home in -new scenes and a bear may be off on an adventure. - -Wild life trails were worn by generation after generation of wild -animals using the same route, the line of least resistance long -followed from one territory to another. Trampling feet assisted by -wind and water maintained a plain trail. Indian trails often were wild -life trails. Stretches of buffalo trails on the plains and bear trails -in Alaska were abandoned because so deeply worn and washed. - -From a low cliff by a mountain stream I watched the wild life along -the trail on the other side of the stream. The canyon was wooded but -the trail immediately opposite was in the open. - -Two packs of wolves met on the trail across the river. The leaders -rushed to grips and a general mix-up was on. But this was surprisingly -brief. There was an outburst of snarling and the gangs passed with but -little loss of time and with but one limping. - -Often as these travellers passed out of sight after a meeting I -wondered what and when would be their next adventure. Around a turn -of the trail within five minutes after the black bear met the skunk he -clashed with a lion, so tracks by the trail showed. - -I often wondered, too, what experience an animal had been through -immediately before he trailed into my sight. The peevish lion was just -from her fat, safe, happy kittens. One of the two cross grizzlies was -from a row with another grizzly, while the other had been playing -along the trail and was on good terms with himself and the world. - -When skunk and mink--the more offensive of the smelly family--meet in -contest, then smells to heaven their meeting. Driven into a corner, -the mink will spread high-power musk in the only avenue of advance. He -then is in an impregnable position--no fellow has nose sufficiently -strong to pass. Or, if the mink place a guarding circle of musk around -a prize kill this makes a time lock and will hold his prize for hours -against all comers. - -A skunk and mink clashed by the trail across the river. The skunk was -leisurely advancing to seize a flopping, misguided trout on the bank -when a mink rushed as though to close with the skunk. The skunk -hesitated--and lost the fish. The mink in the delay of action made -musk screen near the trout. The skunk went into action and drove the -mink off with vile skunk spray. The musk of mink caused his advance to -pause, he edged around to the other side, but too much, gave up the -fish, and walked off gritting his teeth. - -Beavers commonly leave stuffy house and spend summer vacation miles up -or down stream. They travel by water. The swift water of a rapids -forced two companies of beaver travellers to use the trail of -land-lubbers on the bank. Here the company going up visited with -another company going down. They mingled, smelled, and rubbed noses. -The company going up turned back and both went off to frolic in a -beaver pond. Later one company went on down and the other up the -stream. Tracks showed that ten left the pond going down; this company -had numbered twelve when it met the other company. The up-bound -company numbered fourteen at the meeting. Late that day I counted -those going up stream as they left the trail and took to the water at -the head of the rapids. They had increased their number to sixteen. - -Two droves of deer met one October on the trail by stream and a beaver -pond. They stopped, mingled, visited, and then laid down together. One -drove was migrating from summer range on the peaks and high plateaus -to winter range miles below. It was following along a trail -generations old. The other drove was home-seeking. A forest fire with -smoke still in the sky had laid barren their home territory. - -From my treetop observation tower I saw a single coyote coming, and -wondered what would be his attitude concerning the blockading of the -trail by superior numbers, and also how these superior numbers would -receive a single ancient enemy. But the deer were indifferent to the -lone little wolf. They utterly ignored him. - -The coyote walked leisurely around the vast assemblage with an air of -ownership. Then he sat down before them and eyed them with a display -of cynical satisfaction. He turned from this inspection and with a -leisurely, contented air walked by with, "I haven't time to-day--but I -should worry." - -I had my camp by a cliff a short distance up stream and of mornings -birds were numerous. A waterfall was at its best in the night. I had -planned to watch this place another day or two but the wind was from -the wrong quarter--it would carry my scent and warn travellers that a -possible killer was in ambush. So I travelled away on this trail. - -Many a time in the wilds I "met up" unexpectedly with wild life. And -as I recall these meetings I plan again to be among those present. -Unexpected meetings and near meetings were had with most large and -leading species of animals on the Continent. The alert grizzly, -realizing I was one of the super-killer species, generally avoided me. -I travelled alone and unarmed, and before I had satisfied myself that -the grizzly is not a ferocious animal I most unexpectedly met one. I -was his bogie--both acted on the impulse. - -In the wilds one may meet a skunk or a bear. Either gives -concentration--one's every-day faculties take a vacation, and the -Imagination has the stage. A bear adventure is telling. You meet the -bear, he escapes, and eager listeners hear your graphic story. - -The skunk is a good fellow--a good mixer. His policy is to meet or be -met--the other fellow will attend to the running. The war-filled -wilderness of tooth and claw ceases to be aggressive in the pacifying -process of the little black and white skunk. When a skunk goes into -reverse thus runs the world away. From the met skunk you absorb story -material--local colour, carry off enduring evidence; your friends -scent the story, they shrink from you; from registered fragments their -creative faculties have restored a movie scene. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -REBUILDING A BEAVER COLONY - - -In passing the Meadow Beaver Colony one July afternoon I saw an old -beaver come up out of the water with a ball of mud in his forepaws. He -jammed this mud into a low spot in the dam. Tracks in the mud along -the top of this old dam, and a number of green aspen sticks with the -bark eaten off lying on the side of the house, showed that a number of -beavers had been using this old house and pond for several days. - -This was interesting because the place had been abandoned fifteen -years before and most of the old beaver works were in ruins. One -house, now a mound overgrown with willows, retained its form. The pond -it was in had not filled with sediment. - -Did this repairing of the dam mean that this old colony was to be -resettled by beavers? It probably did, for the beavers ever work for a -purpose and not just to be working. It was mid-summer and all beavers -who were not making emergency repairs or extensive improvements were -off on a summer vacation. - -Beavers, like people, occasionally settle in scenes formerly occupied -by their kind, and build among the ruins of the long ago. Many a -beaver colony, like many an ancient city, has one or more cities -buried beneath it. - -A few days after seeing the big old beaver at work on the dam I -discovered him digging in a canal all alone. Tracks showed that other -beavers had been working in the canal, but just why this one was so -bold and showed himself during the daytime I could not guess. - -That these beavers were at work on a canal left no doubt about their -having come to stay. Meantime, the beavers occupied the old house and -pond while making this canal and doing other pioneer settlement work. -They cleaned it out and patched it up for a temporary camp only. - -A canal is one of the best exhibitions of beaver skill. About twenty -feet of this canal was finished and it was about three feet wide and -eighteen inches deep. It began in the northeast corner of the old pond -and was being dug across a filled-in grass-grown pond which had been -washed full of mud and sand. It pointed at an aspen grove out in the -pines two hundred feet away. It was probable that this canal would be -dug as close as possible to the aspen grove, then the canal filled -with water from somewhere and used to float aspen poles down to the -beginning--the lower end--of the canal. And close to the lower end a -house was almost certain to be built. - - [Illustration: Meadow Beaver Colony - Water level in canal 3 feet higher than level in pond - Canal 15 inches deep 30 inches wide, 70 feet long - Aspen grove 120 feet from house. - Willows grass aspen grove where food is obtained - Canal dug in meadow formed by silt and sediment filling - old beaver pond - A Beaver Canal] - -A buried log in the canal was gnawed in two and removed. The canal -curved around a boulder too large to be removed. At a distance of -eighty-one feet from the lower end the canal-builders came in contact -with granite rock and brought the canal to a stop by enlarging the -upper end into a basin about ten feet across. - -The entire length of this canal was through the sediment of a former -beaver pond. After making a pond beavers must occasionally raise the -height of the dam to deepen the water, and also dredge the mud from -the bottom. But despite both dredging and dam raising, the pond sooner -or later fills with sediment and has to be abandoned. In due time it -is overgrown with grass or a forest. - -Food shortage--complete exhaustion of the aspen growth--had compelled -the abandonment of the Meadow Colony after it had been a beaver -settlement for a great many generations. Two large ponds, a dozen -smaller ones, and three houses were left to their fate. Most of the -smaller ponds were completely lost, being overgrown with willows. Two -of the houses had crumbled and were now low wild flower beds. - -Since abandonment a number of aspen groves had grown, and although -these were some distance from the stream, they could be reached and -would furnish necessary food supply. - -These settlers had come from about ten miles down stream. During -summer vacations beavers make long rambling journeys. It may be that -some of these beavers had visited this old colony and knew of its -opportunities before coming to settle. - -From time to time during evenings I had glimpses of several of the -beaver settlers. From their appearance and from their footprints they -were mostly young beavers. During the autumn I several times dimly saw -them playing in the twilight. They splashed merrily about in the pond, -the entire colony taking part. - -With mud and willows the beavers repaired the breaks in the -but-little-damaged dam of the old pond. Then they cut a ditch thirty -or forty feet long through a ridge to a little pond to the north, and -filled the old large pond. Its waters extended to within twelve or -fifteen feet of the lower end of the canal. But as the canal was -nearly two feet higher than the surface of this pond, water for the -canal would have to come from a higher source, and I was puzzled as to -where this might be. But beavers plan their work two or three moves -ahead, and they probably knew what they were about. - -Commonly a house is built in the pond or on the edge of it. But on a -little space of raised ground, within ten feet of the lower end of -the canal and the edge of the pond, the foundation for a house was -being excavated. Two tunnels were made through it to the bottom of the -pond. - -The house was made of mud dredged from the bottom of the pond, and -this was reenforced with an entire clump of willows cut near by. There -were also used willow roots, sods, a few stones, and a few peeled -aspen sticks off which the beavers had eaten the bark, and which they -dragged from their temporary home--the old house. - -The finished house was about ten feet across the bottom and five feet -high. The walls were about two feet thick. The ventilation top was a -mass of criss-crossed sticks without mud. - -Beavers do most of their work at night--this probably is for safety -from men. It appears that at one time they may have regularly worked -during the daytime. But for generations hunters with guns have made -day work perilous. In out-of-the-way places where they had not been -disturbed I have seen a whole colony at work during the daytime even -when the work was not pressing. With exceptions they now work daytime -only in emergencies. At this place no one was troubling the beavers -and frequently I saw an old one, and at length I realized that it had -been the same old one each time. - -I was sitting on the side of the beaver house one afternoon changing -a roll of films when the old beaver rose on the pond and swam to a -half-submerged log about twenty feet away. I stopped film changing and -sat still to watch him. He had not scented me. Splendid reflections he -and the surroundings made in the water; the snowy top of Mount Meeker, -the blue sky, white clouds, brown willows, green, pointed pines, red -birches, and a single young aspen with yellow leaves--a brilliant -autochrome of autumn. - -The beaver rose from squatting and scratched himself behind a fore -leg, combed himself with forepaws, then standing high on his hind feet -held forepaws close to his breast and looked around. A fly alighted on -his nose. He struck at it. Again it alighted, and he brushed it away -with the other forepaw. Again he squatted on the log but facing in the -opposite direction. A few minutes later he dived off showing his wide, -webbed, gooselike hind feet, and striking the water a heavy, merry -whack with his broad black rubbery tail, sending the ripples scurrying -over the pond. - -The canal still remained empty, but with the completion of the house -it would be filled from somewhere and used in bringing in the harvest. - -One day late in September I found the canal and the little basin at -the south--the upper--end full of water. A spring concealed among -the willows forty feet above had been used. From the spring a small -ditch had been dug by the beavers and through this the water was -pouring rapidly into the now overflowing canal. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by S. N. Leek_ - _Mountain Lion_] - - [Illustration: - (C) _by C. L. Reed, Jr._ - _Bighorn Mountain Sheep_] - -Early one evening, two days later, I peeped through the willows near -the south end of the canal and saw an aspen pole with two or three -twigs and several leaves fluttering from it. It was moving down the -canal toward the house. The old beaver was propelling this. Both -forepaws were against the end of the pole and he pushed it speeding -toward the house at the lower end of the canal. He left this pole in -the water and returned for another, then another. - -When he arrived with the third there were two beavers dragging the -other poles over the short wet space between the end of the canal and -the edge of the pond. - -These aspens were being canned in the water--stored in the pond--from -which during the winter they would be dragged in short sections up -into the house and their bark eaten. - -A green aspen commonly water-logs and sinks inside of thirty-six -hours. The beavers were simply piling one pole on another, evidently -realizing that the sinking would follow. - -The following afternoon I saw the old beaver in the aspen grove -gnawing away at a seven-inch aspen. This was nearly cut off. In giving -the finishing bites he tiptoed, edged around the stump this way, then -that. When it began to crack and settle he started toward the canal. -He caught a small piece of aspen in his teeth, dragged this down into -the canal and left it, and swam on down to the house. - -In the water-filled basin at the end of the canal apparently the fresh -cuttings were collected and later transferred by water to their place -of deposit in the pond. These aspen chunks were from five to eight -feet long, were parts of small aspen tree trunks freshly cut off at -each end. - -Down in the pond, floating above the deposited pile, were numbers of -aspen limbs and tops. The bark of these as well as of the larger -cuttings was to serve as winter food for the beavers. - -Beavers do not eat meat or fish, but chiefly bark, with a little of -roots, mushrooms, lily bulbs, and berries. Yet several times during -the past year I read of beaver catching fish--out of season, too. - -This old beaver frequently appeared, first at one place and then at -another. Each time, too, in daylight. He did not seem afraid. But the -other beavers were not seen except about sundown, or in the twilight. -This old beaver may have been the leading colonist, the ruler of the -colony, if there be such a position. - -Beavers cooperate and carry out a distinct plan; in doing this they -work both unitedly and singly. The whole work, however, advances as -though to a plan and as though under constant supervision. Through the -years I have seen beavers working hundreds of times. Their work is -nearly always efficient and apparently under the direction of an -expert in beaver work; but never have I seen any sign or signal given -by a beaver that I could positively say was an order or command. But I -see no way of explaining the magnitude of beaver works and the skill -shown therein except through cooperation under an acknowledged leader. - -One evening as I was watching, a bobcat chased two beavers into the -pond. A few yards farther and they would have been overtaken. But the -instant they dived into the pond they were safe. - -The wild enemies of beavers are lions, bears, wolves, and wildcats; in -fact, any flesh-eating animal large enough to kill one. Rarely is a -beaver captured in water; he is a swift swimmer and can long remain -under water. But on land he is slow getting into action, is not agile, -and in going has only low gear. For safety he aims to cut trees that -are closest to the water. - -Another evening four, and a part of the time five, beavers were -pushing and dragging a log. When they at last pushed it into the canal -one beaver with only one forepaw put this forepaw against the end of -the log and conducted it down the canal. For safety for travel, and -for transportation beavers need deep water. - -There is a social side, too, to life in these deep-water homes. Not -only do beavers indulge in all kinds of water sports among themselves, -but they seem to make friends with some of their diving, swimming -neighbours in other animal families. - -I had often heard that beavers ever war upon their little brother, the -muskrat. The beavers in this colony did not. They continued to use the -old repaired house until near the close of their harvesting. On their -departure, apparently muskrats at once took possession. But the -beavers often went back into the old house. - -One day I saw a beaver enter the house. There were a number of -muskrats inside. I do not know the nature of his visit but there was -no excitement. Another time a beaver turned aside and touched noses -with a muskrat. Still another time a beaver playfully dived beneath a -muskrat. As the beaver came up the muskrat grabbed beaver fur with -forepaws and sat down on the beaver's back. Away swam the beaver with -back above the water, little brother holding on. - -The harvest of aspens for winter food was nearly finished, and I had -thus far seen only the old beaver doing any tree cutting. The evening -of the 19th of October I had gone through the aspen groves measuring -and counting. One hundred and twelve aspens had been cut; these were -from two to eleven inches in diameter at the place of cutting, and -from five to nineteen inches above the ground. The aspens were from -twelve to twenty-one feet high. - -Just at sundown, as I sat down on a boulder near the aspens, I saw a -beaver swimming in the canal toward me. In the basin at the end he -smelled of two logs, then came waddling heavily up the much-used trail -over which logs were dragged from the aspen grove. His big tail swung -slowly from side to side, in places dragging on the ground. He was an -old beaver that I had not before seen. He must have weighed fifty -pounds. He glanced right and left at aspens and stopped several feet -from one, rose up, looked into its top, turned, and looked into the -top of another. He went to the second one. Later I saw that the first -one was entangled at the top in the limbs of a near-by pine. - -Squatting on hind legs with tail bracing behind, he reared up and put -forepaws against a four-inch aspen. He took several bites into the -tree; then several inches higher--as high as he could reach--he did -more biting; after this he split and bit out the space between these -two cuttings. He then repeated cutting above and below and again -followed by splitting out the chip between--roughly following the plan -of an axeman. - -Once he stopped to scratch; he rubbed his back against the stump, and -clawed at the itchy spot with left forepaw. He ate a mouthful of bark -and resumed work. All the cutting had been done from one side, and for -the few final bites he scraped a quantity of trash against the stump -and stood upon this so as to reach the last bit to be cut off. He was -two or three minutes less than an hour in cutting off this four-inch -aspen, but aspen is of soft wood. He galloped behind a pine until the -aspen tumbled over. Waddling back to it, he snipped off several little -limbs, a single bite for each. He scratched his neck. Then he fell -rapidly to gnawing the trunk in two. But before this was accomplished -he took fright, perhaps from my scent, and went full gallop like a fat -cow to the end of the canal and dived in with tail whack and splash. - -During summer beavers eat their meals on the side of the house, or -bank of the pond, or on a log or boulder that is above the surface of -the pond. If enemy appear the beaver in a second dives to safety. For -the winter meal the beaver goes through the inclined tunnel from the -house into the water. At the food pile he cuts off a short section of -one of the aspens, takes this up into the house, and sits on the -floor, which is above water level, to eat the bark. - -Two hundred and eight aspens were cut in the grove, dragged to the -canal, floated down this and finally deposited in the pond. This made -a large food supply for the winter. A little more than one half these -were used, and the number of colonists fed probably was nine. - -Each spring beavers come out of winter quarters as early as possible -and at once begin to use fresh food. If any of the winter food harvest -remains canned in the water this is thrown out next autumn and used in -dam and house repairs. - -Many old beaver colonies have a den in addition to the house, and -others have a tunnel under the pond that comes out on shore some -distance beyond the shoreline. This tunnel is sometimes used in winter -while the pond is frozen over. But these new settlers were without -tunnel or den. - -These beaver pioneers had founded a new home before winter came. The -house was completed, a deep water pond had stored in it the autumn -harvest--food for months. This necessary work was completed a month -before the pond froze solid and several weeks before the first snow. - -This main pond is off the stream, connecting with it by a ditch -through the side of another pond, and will thus receive but little -sediment. But each year a layer of fine material will sift in and -settle on the bottom, making the pond shallower. Although this pond -will live longer than most ponds it, too, will meet the common -fate--be filled in with rich soil, be buried and forgotten beneath -grass, wild flowers, willows, and groves of trees. - -Several times through the ice I saw the beavers in the pond. A number -of times I watched them by the food pile cutting off sticks of -rations. Other times they were swimming about as though just having -their daily cold bath. - -While the glassy ice covering of the pond was still clear I once saw -them at play in the water beneath the ice; all nine. They wrestled in -pairs, they mixed in masses, they raced two and three, they followed -the leader circling and criss-crossing. Now and then one dropped out, -rose against the under surface of the ice where there was an air -pocket, and here I suppose had a few breaths and then resumed the -play. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE WARY WOLF - - -One day in western Wyoming an elk was killed by hunters. It was left -lying on the ground all night. Its only protection was a handkerchief -tied to one of the horns. Tracks in the snow showed that wolves were -about and that they had circled the carcass, but without going close -enough to touch it. - -In another instance a deer was left out all night in the wolf country. - -"How did you protect it?" someone asked the hunter. - -"By simply rubbing my hands over it," he answered. - -A mature wolf will not eat or touch anything that has human scent upon -it, or that carries the scent of iron or steel, which he evidently -associates with the deadly scent of man. - -A cowboy shot his injured pony and left it lying on the plains. The -pony was shod. Wolves did not touch the carcass. On another occasion -and in the same locality a pony was killed by lightning. It was not -shod and carried no human scent. Upon this pony the wolves were -feasting within a few hours. - -The wolf in his struggles with man has become an extremely cautious -animal. He is hunted and pursued with deadly ingenuity and -persistence. Guns, traps, poison, and dogs are used for his -destruction. There is no quarter for him--always a price on his head; -and the sum is large. Survivors must be exceptionally wide-awake and -wary. The numbers that still survive show that this exacting price of -existence has been met. They have not been beaten. Altogether, the -wolves now alive probably are much more destructive than their -ancestors were, and far more capable of saving themselves from -extermination by man. - -Much of the time wolves hunt in cooperating packs. They run an animal -down by following it in relays; sometimes one or more wolves lie in -wait at a point of vantage while others drive or force the victim into -the ambush. On an island in Alaska a number of wolves in relays chased -a deer and at last drove it into the sea. Near the point where it -leaped into the water a swimming wolf was in waiting. - -Three wolves chased a young antelope through my mountain camp. Though -they nearly ran over me, I doubt whether either the antelope or the -wolves saw me. On they went across the plateau. I hoped that the -antelope might escape; but just before he reached the top of a ridge I -saw a wolf peering over. The antelope and the wolves disappeared on -the other side, where I suppose the drifting clouds and steadfast -pines again witnessed a common tragedy of the wild. - -On another occasion I saw three wolves drive a deer from a canyon and -so direct its course that it emerged where the way was covered with a -deep snowdrift. As the deer floundered through the soft snow it was -pounced upon by a fourth wolf, which was lying in wait at this point. - -Wolves occasionally capture the young, the stupid, and the injured -among deer, sheep, elk, and moose; but the big-game loss from wolf -depredations probably is not heavy. These wolf-chased animals have -developed a wariness and endurance that usually enable them, except -perhaps during heavy snows, to triumph over this enemy. - -Economically, the food habits of wolves are not entirely bad. In many -localities they prey freely upon those ever-damaging pests--mice, -rats, rabbits, and prairie dogs. They are also scavengers. - -The vast herds of buffaloes used to be constantly followed by -countless packs of wolves. At that time the gray wolf was commonly -known as the buffalo wolf, and he is still often spoken of by that -name. The wolves were watchful to pounce upon any stray, weak, or -injured animal. - -Well-authenticated accounts tell us that often a number of buffaloes -would convoy a calf or a wounded buffalo to a place of safety. What a -strange thing it must have been, out on the plains, to see a pack of -wolves, fierce and fiendish, endeavouring to break through the buffalo -line of defense that surrounded a retreating calf! Except while -migrating, buffalo bulls appeared to have the habit of standing guard -over a sick or injured buffalo until the weak one got well or died. - -Wolves prey extensively on cattle and sheep; and to a less extent on -horses, pigs, and chickens. Many stockmen think that a single pair of -wolves may damage cattle herds to the value of a thousand dollars a -year. A single wolf has been charged with killing eighty head of -cattle in a year, or even ten head of stock in a month. Occasionally a -pair of wolves may kill a number of animals in a day. In Texas the red -wolf feeds on cattle, colts, sheep, and goats--the gray mostly on -cattle; while the black shows a fondness for pork of a better grade -than razorback. - -The cattle-raising country has a wolf popuation. Formerly wolves -followed the buffalo herds in their long drifts and migrations up and -down the plains; they now follow the cattle herds in the West. They -winter with the cattle in the lowlands, and in the summer accompany -the "beef on hoof" up into the high ranges among the peaks. - -When they come upon a herd of cattle they isolate one; then one or -more wolves systematically attack the head while another or others -attack behind. Their powerful jaws snap quickly and cut or crush -deeply. They endeavour to hamstring the victim. - -On one occasion, in southern Colorado, I saw a herd of cattle standing -in a circle with their heads outward. A number of wolves were -attacking them. By leaping unitedly--first at one then at -another--they finally frightened one victim out of the circle of -safety. He was at once driven away from the herd, and in a short time -the wolves had disabled his hind legs and pulled him down. - -On another occasion, in North Park, Colorado, I saw two wolves pull -down three two-year-olds in a short time. I watched them through a -field glass. One wolf attacked in front while the other kept leaping -and snapping at the flanks and legs until the animal fell. These three -animals were killed in less than half an hour. As they were not -eaten, the killing was apparently for the amusement of the wolves. - -In wolf-infested cattle territory it is common for one or more cows to -guard the calves while the other cows go to water. At a ranch where I -made my headquarters for a few days, the plan was being tried of -equipping every thoroughbred calf with a bell. This practice proved -only temporarily effective in keeping wolves away. - -In the cattle country you will find the wolfer--a picturesque -character engaged in the peculiar occupation of trying to exterminate -wolves. His equipment consists of a rifle, traps, and poison. A few -wolfers follow their occupation the year round. Many of them are free -trappers--some of them old-timers who have seen better trapping days. - -When a wolfer meets another wolfer, or when he is discussing business -with stockmen and others who are interested, his talk is likely to run -to "Three Toes," a wolf that killed so many cattle on the S.S. Bar -Ranch; or to "Old Two Toes," which John Jones succeeded in trapping. -He is eager to hear how Smith trapped the last wolf. Just as the -prospector has faith that he will find the mythical lost mine, many -wolfers firmly believe that they will yet compound a scent which will -please the nostrils of the most wary wolf and lure him to his doom. - -The hunter and the trapper keep bringing forward new and skillful ways -of poisoning and trapping wolves. But getting a wolf becomes -increasingly difficult. The majority of wolves now trapped are the -young or the stupid ones. Many trappers use traps by the gross. These -are set in clusters in selected places--in narrow trails, round -carcasses, and in the approaches to stream crossings. The traps are -concealed; placed in water; they are deodorized, hidden, and -false-scented with offal. Whole batteries are placed before or round a -stake the top of which is highly scented with something alluring to -wolf nostrils. - -One day I watched a trapper spend several hours in placing more than a -hundred traps round the carcass of a cow. He avoided touching the -carcass. This concealed trap arrangement was as complicated as a -barbed-wire entanglement. At one place he set the traps three abreast -and five deep. On another probable line of approach he set ten traps, -singly, but on a zigzag line. Two fallen logs made a V-shaped chute, -which ended close to the carcass. In the narrow end of this chute -another cluster of traps was set. Thus the carcass was completely -surrounded by numerous concealed traps. It seemed impossible for any -animal to walk to the carcass without thrusting a foot into one of -the steel jaws of this network of concealed traps. Yet a wolf got -through that night and feasted on the carcass! - -Clever ways have been devised to keep human scent off the poisoned -meat. Poison is inserted into pieces of meat without touching them -with the hand. Then these choice dainties are taken on horseback in a -rawhide bucket and scattered with wooden pinchers, the dispenser -wearing rubber gloves. Yet most wolves will starve before touching -these morsels, evidently scenting the poison! - -Forced by poison and traps to avoid most dead stuff that man has -touched, the wolf is compelled to do more killing. Then, too, his -special development and increased experience, together with his -exceptional equipment and opportunity, afford him a living and leave -him spare energy and time; so for the fun of it he kills and kills, -like a game-hog. - -In Montana I once saw a pair of wolves attack a broncho. The horse, -which was exceptionally keen-witted and agile, fought the wolves off -successfully for several minutes, and finally smashed a hind leg of -one with a kick. He then became aggressive, and endeavoured to stamp -the injured wolf to death. Under the brave protection of the other -wolf, which fiercely fought the enemy, the disabled one tried to -escape; but the horse landed a kick on this fighter, crippled it, and -finally killed both. - -The new environment of wolf life that accompanied the approach of man -demanded a change of habit. Many things that wolves had always -done--which had been good enough for their ancestors--must be done no -more; things that never had been done must be done at once. It was the -old, inexorable law--the survival of the fittest; the passing of those -which could not change and cope with newly imposed conditions. - -Any one who has had experience with wolves is pretty certain to -conclude that they are intelligent--that they reason. A trapper who -thinks that a wolf is guided by instinct, who fails to realize lupine -vigilance, and forgets that wolves are always learning--ever adapting -themselves to changing environment--will be laughed at by a -multiplying wolf population. - -With astounding quickness the new dangers man introduced into the wolf -world were comprehended and avoided. In the decade following 1885 -wolves appear to have gained knowledge of human ways more rapidly than -man developed in his knowledge of wolf ways. This rapid mental -development on their part cannot be called instinct. Plainly it was a -case of intelligence and the wisdom of experience. Surviving wolves -have learned absolutely to avoid those insidious means of death that -high bounties have led man to invent for their extermination. - -Apparently, too, old wolves promptly educate their children; so that -the youngsters avoid these new complex dangers. Whether this education -is consciously given on the part of the old wolves matters not. The -fact that wolves multiplied in the midst of the concerted and -relentless war waged against them by man indicates that the youngsters -learned how to take care of themselves from the experience and not -from the instincts of their parents. The safety-first slogan in the -wolf world appears to be: "Avoid being seen by a man; and never, never -touch anything that carries the scent of man or of iron or steel." - -A generation or two ago a wolf took no pains to keep out of sight; now -he uses his wits to avoid being seen. Then it was easy to trap him; -now he has become exceedingly difficult to trap. Long-range rifles, -poison, and steel traps brought about these changes. It was about 1880 -when wolves began to develop this cunning for self-preservation. Heavy -bounties brought numerous trappers and hunters into the wolf domain; -but such was their development that, despite this incessant warring, -for fifteen years the wolves actually multiplied. - -Both old wolves play with the puppies, and on rare occasions both at -the same time. More often one of the old ones allows the puppies to -play with it. The old one will lie full length while the puppies tug -and chew at its ears, bite and tug at tail, and snap at nose. Upon the -old one they climb, trampling and scuffling about. To all this the old -one submits without a move, unless it is to encourage or prolong the -interest of the puppies. - -A mated wolf is happy in the company of the mate. When well fed and -with leisure time--no puppies to watch over--they lie in the sun near -the den usually with one resting its head upon the body of the other. -Or, puppylike, they may wrestle and play together for an hour without -ceasing. - -Numbers often play together. In the "Adventures of a Nature Guide" I -have told of a number playing with a tumbleweed on a windy prairie. - -Sometimes they go away exploring. A trip of this kind often carries -them far beyond the bounds of their home territory. Sometimes they -appear to have a place in mind when they start; again they wander here -and there, following each inclination or new interest. - -Exploring often brings them in touch with strange wolves. With these -there may be battles but more likely organized play, like the relay -running of a deer or some other victim. When a number are together -they are likely to make life miserable for a mountain lion in case -they come upon the trail of one. They will even annoy a bear. - -The wolf has extraordinary endurance, great strength, senses amazingly -developed, and exceptionally powerful jaws. He is a good swimmer. I -have seen wolves swimming vigorously in rivers, wide lakes, and among -breakers. They appear to be equally at home in the mountains, in the -forest, in thickets, or on the prairie. They probably live from eight -to fifteen years. - -The coyote, or prairie wolf, is a distinct species, much smaller and -with more fox traits than his big brother, the gray wolf. - -The wolf is closely related to the dog family; in fact, a Husky, or -Eskimo dog, is a domesticated wolf. The track of a wolf is almost -identical with that of a dog. - -The average weight of a mature gray wolf is close to one hundred -pounds. In exceptional cases they have been known to weigh one hundred -and fifty pounds. They are, therefore, about twice the weight of the -coyote, or prairie wolf, and considerably larger and heavier than the -average collie. For the most part, those near the Arctic regions are -larger than those in the southern United States. - -Seen in profile at a distance, the back line is comparatively -straight. The ears rise just a trifle above this line; in front of the -hips the back sags a trifle, while the tail is extended almost -straight, with the point held slightly above the level of the back. -With the coyote the ears are more prominent, the back more swayed, and -the tail droops at a very sharp angle, with the point turned a little -upward. - -Among Indians wolf pets are common. At an Alaskan Indian encampment I -was once greeted by a number of romping Indian children who had -several black-faced wolf puppies with faces painted vermilion and -yellow. - -The puppies are born early in March. The number varies from six to -twelve. For the first few weeks they are almost black, especially -about the head. For a period after the young cease nursing the mother -stays with them much of the time, while the father hunts and brings -food to the entrance of the den or into it. At the age of a year the -young wolf is still puppylike, and apparently he does not reach -maturity until more than two years of age. - -Young wolves are sometimes seized by eagles or foxes; and all wolves -are subject to attacks from parasites and disease. - -Old storybooks are full of tales of wolf ferocity. Wolves pursue the -lone horseman, or even attack the occupants of a sleigh. A fiddler -returning at night is forced to take refuge on top of a deserted -building or in a treetop; or a mail carrier narrowly escapes with his -life after losing his sack. All too frequently we still hear stories -of wolves attacking a solitary traveller, but careful investigation of -these stories shows them to be sheer fabrications. - -The howl of the wolf is deep, while that of the coyote is shrill and -high-pitched. It appears that wolves have a language and a system of -signalling. These consist of howls, snarls, and barks of varying -length, with varying spaces or accents. Wolves prowl and howl mostly -at night; but it is not uncommon for them to hunt or to wander in the -daytime. - -The gray wolf is known also as the timber wolf. He may be gray, -grayish yellow, or grayish black, occasionally reddish; and now and -then he verges on cream colour. The colour varies greatly, even among -the members of a single and perhaps related pack. - -Formerly the gray wolf was distributed practically over all North -America. Though classified into various sub-species, it really was -the same wolf in Florida and Alaska, in Labrador and Arizona. In -different localities he varied in size, colour, and minor -characteristics; he necessarily adapted himself to the food supply of -his locality and followed the necessary means of getting his food. But -everywhere he was really the same gray wolf. - -The present wolf population of the United States is not numerous; but -it is active, aggressive, and destructive. The animal probably has -been exterminated in most of the Eastern States and in California. The -coyote probably is economically more beneficial to man than the gray -wolf, and does less damage to man's cattle. - -In common with most animals, wolves live on a fixed or home range. -They spend their life in one locality. This has a diameter of fifteen -or twenty miles. To a certain extent its area and form are dependent -on the food supply and the topography. One wolf that I knew of had a -home range that measured forty by ten miles. - -Much of the time wolves run in pairs; and, from both my own -observation and that of others, I believe they commonly mate for life. -Their home is a den. This most frequently is upon a southern slope. It -may be of their own digging or a badger or a prairie-dog hole which -the wolves have enlarged; or it may be a natural cave. In the woods it -may be in a huge hollow tree. Almost invariably a pair has a den to -themselves. I have heard of a few instances where two litters of wolf -puppies were found in the same den; but probably the second litter, in -an emergency, had been moved into the den for safety. - -Wolves within the bounds of the United States are not ferocious; they -do not attack human beings. That they were once ferocious is probable; -but years ago they learned the folly of exposing themselves to human -beings. - -Notwithstanding all this, the wolf is not a coward. He is brave enough -when anything is to be gained by being brave. The spectacular, -reckless, grand-stand bravery that is pretty certain to be accompanied -by death does not appeal to the wolf. Instances are on record, -however, where numbers of wolves have risked their lives in order to -save or to try to save a wounded companion, either from men or from -animals. - -A man captured and brought home a number of wolf puppies and placed -them in a box inside a high picket fence. He thought the mother might -come to their rescue and prepared to entrap her. He took off a picket -of the fence, and placed steel traps inside and outside the fence and -in the gap. On the first night the mother did bravely come to the -rescue; but she avoided all dangers and carried off her puppies. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -WINTER WAYS OF ANIMALS - - -On the way home one winter afternoon I came upon a beaver colony a -little below timberline. In the edge of the woods I stood for a time -looking out on the white smooth pond. Lines of tracks crossed it from -every point of the compass. Two camp birds alighted on a tree within a -few feet and looked me over. I heard a flock of chickadees going -through the woods. - -A lynx came out of the willow clumps on the opposite shore. He walked -out on the snowy pond and headed straight for the house. He was in no -hurry and stepped slowly along and climbed on top of the house. Here -he sniffed a time or two, then raked the house with right forepaw. He -sniffed again. Nothing in reach for him. - -Climbing down off the beaver house the lynx walked around it and -started for the woods near me. Catching my scent he stopped, took a -look, then went full speed into the Engelmann spruce forest. Other -lynx had visited the top of the beaver house and also prowled along -the bottom of the dam. A number of mountain sheep had crossed the pond -a day or two before. - -The pond was in a deep gulch and a goodly stream of water out of sight -beneath the ice and snow was running into it. The concentrated outflow -burst out over the top of the south end of the dam through an -eighteen-inch opening. This pond was frozen over for five months. For -these five months the beaver each day had a swim or two in the water -under the ice. When hungry he took a section of an aspen from the pile -on the bottom of the pond. This was dragged under the ice up into the -house, where it afforded a meal of canned green bark. - -Most summer birds fly away from winter. Other birds and a few animals -travel a short distance--go to a place where food is more abundant -although the winter there may not be any milder than in the locality -in which they summered. Birds that remain to winter in the locality in -which they summered, and most of the animals, too, go about their -affairs as usual. They do not store food for the winter or even for -the following day. The getting of food in the land of snows does not -appear to trouble them. - -But a number of animals--squirrels, chipmunks, conies, and -beavers--store food for the winter. Generally these supplies are -placed where they are at all times readily reached by the owners; on -the earth, in it, in the water; the place depending on the taste and -the habits of the fellow. - -Upon the mountain tops the cony, or Little Chief Hare, stacks hay each -autumn. This tiny stack is placed in the shelter of a big boulder or -by a big rock, close to the entrance of his den. While the beaver is -eating green canned bark the cony is contentedly chewing dry, cured -hay. - -The beaver is one of the animals which solves the winter food and cold -problem by storing a harvest of green aspen, birch, and willow. This -is made during the autumn and is stored on the bottom of the pond -below the ice-line. Being canned in cold water the bark remains fresh -for months. - -Squirrels store nuts and cones for winter food. Most squirrels have a -regular storing place. This covers only a few square yards or less and -usually is within fifty or sixty feet of the base of the tree in which -the squirrel has a hole and a winter home. - -Commonly, when dining, the squirrel goes to his granary or storage -place and uses this for a dining room. A squirrel in a grove near my -cabin sat on the same limb during each meal. He would take a cone, -climb up to this limb, about six feet above the snow, back up against -the tree and begin eating. One day an owl flew into the woods. The -squirrel dropped his cone and scampered up into the treetop without a -chirp. - -Another day a coyote came walking through the grove without a sound. -He had not seen me and I did not see him until the squirrel suddenly -exploded with a sputtering rush of squirrel words. He denounced the -coyote, called him a number of names. The coyote did not like it, but -what could he do? He took one look at the squirrel and walked on. The -squirrel, hanging to the cone in his right hand, waved it about and -cussed the coyote as far as he could see him. - -A number of species of chipmunks store quantities of food, mostly weed -seed. But no one appears to know much of the winter life of chipmunks. - -Chipmunks around my home remain under ground more than half of the -year. Two near my cabin were out of their holes only four months one -year. They were busy these four months gathering seeds and peanuts -which they stored underground in their tunnels. Twice by digging I -found the chipmunks in a sleep so heavy that I could not awaken them, -and I believe they spend much of the eight months underground -sleeping. Digging also revealed that they had eaten but little of -their stored supplies. - -When food becomes scarce and the weather cold and snowy, a number of -animals hole up--go into a den. By hibernating, sleeping away the -weeks the earth is barren and white, they triumph over the ways of -winter. Bears and ground-hogs are famous hibernators. Many chipmunks -and some species of squirrels hibernate for indefinite periods. - - The Bat and the Bear, they never care - What winter winds may blow; - The Jumping-mouse in his cozy house - Is safe from ice and snow. - - The Chipmunk and the Woodchuck, - The Skunk, who's slow but sure, - The ringed Raccoon, who hates the moon, - Have found for cold the cure. - --SAMUEL SCOVILLE, JR., in _Everyday Adventures_. - -Animals which hibernate, fast and sleep through much or all of the -winter, are not harmed and possibly are benefitted by the fasting and -sleeping. Bears and ground-hogs are fat when they go to bed in the -autumn and fat and strong when they come out in the spring. - -A snowy winter gives a bear den a cold-excluding outer -covering--closes the entrance and the airholes. Most bears and -ground-hogs appear to remain in the den all winter. I have known an -occasional ground-hog to thrust out his head for a few minutes now and -then during the winter, and bears may come forth and wander about for -a time, especially if not quite comfortable. I have known a number of -bears to come out toward spring for brief airings and sunnings. - -Mid-winter a bear wanted more bedding. In fact, he did not have any, -which was unusual. But the winter was cold, no snow had fallen, and -the frigid wind was whistling through his poorly built den house. The -usual snow would have closed the airholes and shut out the cold. He -was carrying cedar bark and mouthfuls of dried grass into the den. - -This same winter I came upon another bear. Cold or something else had -driven him from his den. When I saw him he was trying to reopen an old -den which was back in a bank under the roots of a spruce. He may have -tried to dig a den elsewhere, but the ground was frozen almost as hard -as stone. While he was working a bob-cat came snarling out. The bear -struck at it. It backed off sputtering then ran away. In tearing out a -root the bear slipped and rolled down the bank. He went off through -the woods. - -Late one February I came upon a well-worn bear trail between the sunny -side of a cliff and an open den. In this trail there were tracks fresh -and tracks two or more weeks old. Elsewhere I have seen many evidences -that bears toward spring come out briefly to sun themselves and to -have an airing. But never a sign of their eating or drinking anything. - -Near my cabin I marked four ground-hog holes after the fat fellows -went in. On September tenth I stuffed a bundle of grass in the -entrance of each den. Sometime during the winter one of them had -disturbed the grass and thrust out his head. Whether this was on -Ground-hog Day or not, I cannot say. The other ground-hogs remained -below until between April seventh and twelfth, about seven months. And -these seven months were months of fast, and possibly without water. - -The raccoon, who ever seems a bright, original fellow, appears to have -a hibernating system of his own. Many a raccoon takes a series of -short hibernating sleeps each winter, and between these sleeps he is -about hunting food, eating and living as usual. But I believe these -periods of hibernating often correspond to stormy or snowy periods. - -While trying to see a flock of wild turkeys in Missouri one winter day -I had a surprise. The snow showed that they had come out of the woods -and eaten corn from a corn shock. I hoped to see them by using a -near-by shock for a blind and walked around the shock. The snow over -and around it showed only an outgoing mouse track. No snow had fallen -for two days. - -I had gotten into the centre of the shock when I stepped on something -that felt like a big dog. But a few seconds later, when it lunged -against me, trying blindly to get out, it felt as big as a bear. I -overturned the shock in escaping. A blinking raccoon looked at me for -a few seconds, then took to the woods. - -Deep snow rarely troubles wild life who lay up food for winter. And -snow sometimes is even helpful to food storers and also to the bears -and ground-hogs who hibernate, and even to a number of small folk who -neither hibernate nor lay up supplies. - -One winter afternoon I followed down the brook which flows past my -cabin. The last wind had blown from an unusual quarter, the northeast. -It made hay-stack drifts in a number of small aspen groves. One of -these drifts was perhaps twenty feet across and about as high. The -treetops were sticking out of it. - -On the top of the snowdrift a cotton-tail was feeding happily off the -bark of the small limbs. This raised platform had given him a good -opportunity to get at a convenient food supply. He was making the most -of this. At the bottom he had bored a hole in the snow pile and -apparently planned to live there. - -While peeping into this hole two mice scampered along it. This snow -would protect them against coyotes. Safe under the snow they could -make their little tunnels, eat grass and gnaw bark, without the fear -of a coyote jumping upon them. - -Tracks and records in the snow showed that for two days a coyote did -not capture a thing to eat. During this time he had travelled miles. -He had closely covered a territory about three miles in diameter. -There was game in it, but his luck was against him. He was close to a -rabbit, grabbed a mouthful of feathers--but the grouse escaped, and -even looked at a number of deer. At last, after more than two days, -and possibly longer, he caught a mouse or two. - -Antelope in the plains appear to live in the same territory the year -round. Many times in winter I have been out on the plains and found a -flock feeding where I had seen it in summer. But one snowy time they -were gone. I found them about fifteen miles to the west, where either -less snow had fallen or the wind had partly swept it away. The -antelope were in good condition. While I watched them a number started -a race. - -The wolves had also moved. A number of these big gray fellows were -near the antelope. Just what the other antelope and the other wolves -who used this locality did about these new folks, I cannot guess. - -Mountain deer and elk who usually range high during the summer go to -the lowlands or several miles down the mountains for the winter. They -may thus be said to migrate vertically. One thousand feet of descent -equals, approximately, the climatic changes of a thousand-mile -southward journey. They may thus winter from five to twenty-five miles -from where they summered, from one thousand to several thousand feet -lower. The elk that winter in the Jackson Hole region have a summer -range on the mountains forty or fifty miles away. But elk and deer -that have a home territory in the lowlands are likely to be found -summer after summer in the same small, unfenced pasture. - -Moose, caribou, deer, and elk during heavy snows often resort to -yarding. Moose and caribou are experts in taking care of themselves -during long winters of deep snows. They select a yard which offers the -maximum food supply and other winter opportunities. - -One snowy winter I visited a number of elk that were yarding. High -peaks rose snowy and treeless above the home in the forest. The -ragged-edged yard was about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile -wide. About one half the yard was a swamp covered with birch and -willow and a scattering of fir. The remainder was a combination of -open spaces, aspen groves, and a thick growth of spruce. - -Constant trampling compressed the snow and enabled the elk readily to -move about. Outside the yard they would have bogged in deep snow. In -the swamp the elk reached the moss, weeds, and other growths. But -toward spring the grass and weeds had either been eaten or were buried -beneath icy snow. The elk then ate aspen twigs and the tops and limbs -and bark of birch and willow. - -Ease of movement in this area enabled the elk to keep enemies at bay. -Several times I saw from tracks that lion had entered this selfmade -wild life reservation, and on two occasions a number of wolves invaded -it. But each time the elk had bunched in a pocket of a trampled space -and effectively fought off the wolves. - -One day late in February I visited the yard. The elk plainly had lost -weight but were not in bad condition. While I lingered near the entire -herd joined merrily in chase and tag, often racing then wheeling to -rear high and fence with heads. If I counted correctly this herd went -through the entire winter without the loss of an elk. - -But the caribou appears to be the only animal which migrates between -summer and winter ranges, that is, which makes a long journey of -hundreds of miles; as much change of place as made by many species of -migrating birds. The main cause for this migration is the food supply, -but myriads of mosquitoes in the woods may be one cause of the moose -moving each summer far into the north where there are grassy prairies -and large openings in the woods. But for winter they seek food and -shelter in a yard in the forest. - -While snowshoeing in the forested mountains to the southeast of Long's -Peak I came upon a mountain lion track startlingly fresh. I followed -it to a den beneath a rock pile at the bottom of a cliff. Evidently -the lion was in. Seeing older tracks which he had made on leaving the -den, I trailed these. After zigzagging through the woods he had set -off in a bee-line for the top of a cliff. From this point he -evidently saw a number of deer. He had crawled forward, then -back-tracked and turned to the right, then made round to the left. The -snow was somewhat packed and his big feet held him on the surface. The -deer broke through. - -The lion climbed upon a fallen tree and crept forward. He was screened -by its large upturned root. At last he rushed out and seized a near-by -deer and killed it, evidently after a short struggle. He had then -pursued and killed a young deer that had fled off to the left where it -was struggling in the heavy snows. Without returning to the first kill -the lion fed off the second and returned to the den. - -I followed the other deer. In a swamp they had fed for a time on the -tops of tall weeds among the snow and willows. I came close to them in -a thick growth of spruce. Here the snow was less deep. A goodly -portion of the snow still clung to the trees. - -These deer circled out of the spruce swamp and came into their trail -made in entering it. Back along this trail they followed to where the -lion had made the first kill. Leaping over this dead deer they climbed -up on the rocky ridge off which so much snow had blown that they could -travel speedily most of the time over the rocks with only now and then -a stretch of deep snow. - -Often during my winter trips I came upon a porcupine. Both winter and -summer he seemed blindly content. There were ten thousand trees -around, and winter or summer there were meals to last a life-time. -Always he had a dull, sleepy look and I doubt if he ever gets -enthusiastic enough to play. - -Birds that remain all winter in snowy lands enjoy themselves. Like the -winter animals, usually they are well fed. But most species of birds -with their airplane wings fly up and down the earth, go northward in -the spring and southward in the autumn, and thus linger where summer -lingers and move with it when it moves. - -Around me the skunks hibernated about two months each year; some -winters possibly not at all. Generally the entire skunk family, from -two to eight, hole up together. One den which I looked into in -mid-winter had a stack of eight sleepy skunks in it. A bank had caved -off exposing them. I left them to sleep on, for had I wakened them -they might not have liked it. And who wants to mix up with a skunk? - -Another time a snowslide tore a big stump out by the roots and -disclosed four skunks beneath. When I arrived, about half an hour -after the tear-up, the skunks were blinking and squirming as though -apparently too drowsy to decide whether to get up or to have another -good sleep. - -Many tales have been told about the terrible hunger and ferocity of -wolves during the winter. This may sometimes be so. Wolves seem ever -to have good, though not enormous, appetites. Sometimes, too, they go -hungry for days without a full meal. But generally, if the winter is -snowy, this snow makes it easier for them to make a big kill. - -Deer, elk, and mountain sheep occasionally are caught in deep snow, or -are struck by a snowslide. A number sometimes are snowbound or killed -at one time. Usually the prowling wolves or coyotes discover the kill -and remain near as long as the feast holds out. - -Once I knew of a number of wolves and two lions lingering for more -than two weeks at the wreckage brought down by a snowslide. I was -camping down below in the woods and each evening heard a hullabaloo, -and when awake in the night I heard it. Occasionally I heard it in the -daytime. Finally a grizzly made a discovery of this feeding ground. He -may have scented it or he may have heard the uproars a mile or two -away. For the wolves and the lions feasted, fought, and played by the -hour. The row became so uproarious one night that I started up to see -what it was all about. But the night was dark and I turned back to -wait until morning. Things had then calmed down, and only the grizzly -remained. After he ran off I found that from fifteen to twenty deer -had been swept down by the slide and mixed with the tree wreckage. - -The right kind of winter clothing is an important factor for winter -life for both people and animals. The clothing problem perhaps is more -important than the food question. - -Winter in the Temperate Zone causes most birds and animals to change -clothing--to put on a different suit. This usually is of winter weight -and in many cases of a different colour than that of the summer suit. -Bears, beavers, wolves, and sheep put on a new, bright, heavy suit in -autumn and by spring this is worn and faded. The weasel wears -yellow-brown clothes during summer, but during winter is in pure-white -fur--the tip of the tail only being jet black. The snowshoe rabbit has -a new suit at the beginning of each winter. This is furry, warm, and -pure white. His summer clothes are a trifle darker in colour than -those of other rabbits. If there is no snow he eats with his feet on -the earth or on a fallen log or rock pile, but if there is a deep snow -he has snowshoes fastened on and is ever ready to go lightly over the -softest surface. - -In these ways--hibernating, eating stored food, or living as in summer -time from hand to mouth--the animals of the Temperate Zone go -contentedly through the winter with a change of habit and all with a -change of clothing. The winter commonly is without hardship and there -is time for pranks and play. Winter, so the animal Eskimos say, and so -the life of the Temperate Zone shows, will bear acquaintance. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -PRONGHORN OF THE PLAINS - - -I awakened one morning out on the Great Plains to find that in the -dark I had camped near the nursery of a mother antelope and her two -kids. It was breakfast time. Commonly both antelope children nurse at -once, but this morning it was one at a time. Kneeling down, the -suckling youngster went after the warm meal with a morale that never -even considered Fletcherizing. Occasionally he gave a vigorous butt to -hasten milk delivery. - -Breakfast over, the mother had these youngsters lie low in the short -grass of a little basin. She left them and began feeding away to the -south. The largest objects within a quarter of a mile were a few -stunted bunches of sagebrush. I moved my sleeping bag a short distance -into an old buffalo wallow and watched her. She fed steadily up a -moderate slope but was always in position where she could see the -youngsters and the approach of anything in the unobstructed opening -round them. This mother was not eating the abundant buffalo grass -celebrated for its nutrition, nor any of the blooming plants. She was -eating, and plainly with relish, simply the gray-green bitter leaves -of the shrubby scattered sage. On reaching the low summit of the -prairie swell she paused for a little while on the skyline, then -started on a run for a water-hole about two miles distant. - -A few seconds later a fox-like head peeped over a little ridge a few -hundred feet from the kids. Then a distant bunch of sagebrush -transformed itself into another moving form, and two coyotes trotted -into the scene. Evidently these coyotes knew that somewhere near two -youngsters were hidden. They followed the mother's trail by scent and -kept their eyes open, looking for the youngsters. - -Old antelope have perhaps more numerous scent glands than other big -wild animals, but evidently a young antelope gives off little or no -scent. Its youthful colour blends so well with its surroundings when -it lies down that it is difficult to see it. Once the young flatten -out and freeze upon the grassy earth they offer but little that is -revealing even to the keenest eyes and noses. - -Both coyotes paused within a few feet of one of the kids without -either seeing or scenting it. It was flattened out between two clumps -of sagebrush. Finally, unable to find the youngsters, the coyotes -trotted off along the mother's trail. - -I went over to have a look at the children. Though I knew just about -where they were I looked and circled for some time before my eyes -detected them. They were grayish brown with the outlines of future -colour scheme faintly showing. Within two feet of each I stood and -watched them. A fly crawled over the eye and ear of one kid and an ant -over the nose of the other, and yet neither made a move. - -For about two weeks, while the legs of the young are developing -liveliness, the mother keeps aloof from her kind. She often has a -trying time with enemies. - -As soon as the coyotes were out of sight I hastened to the highest -near-by point hoping with glasses to see the mother antelope. She was -just leaving the water-hole. Her movements evidently were a part of a -strategic plan to deceive the watchful eyes and the cunning noses of -enemies, chiefly coyotes. She fed a quarter of a mile south, then ran -on for more than a mile still farther. She then galloped more than two -miles northeast and later, with many doublings which involved her -trail, worked back to the youngsters. - -In following and watching the movements of the mother I stumbled over -a lone antelope kid about half a mile from the other two. I returned -later and found that it was entangled between the twisted low-lying -limbs of a sagebrush. Not until I laid hold of the kid to drag it out -did it make a move. Then it struggled and gave a low bleat. - -Realizing that this might bring the mother like lightning I let go and -rose up. There she was, coming like the wind, and only four or five -hundred feet away, indifferent to the fact that man is the most -dangerous of enemies. Just how close she might have come, just what -might have happened had I not straightened up at that moment, is sheer -guesswork. But the freed youngster butted me violently behind and then -ran off to meet his mother. - -During most of the year the great silent plains are at rest in tawny -and gray brown. The dreamy, sunny distances show only moving cloud -shadows. A brief barrage of dust storm sometimes sweeps across or a -wild drive of tumbleweeds with a front from horizon to horizon goes -bounding and rolling toward the rim, where they go over and vanish. -But these endless distances are palpitating with flowers and song when -the young antelope are born. - -One May morning a flock of blackbirds alighted upon a leafy cottonwood -tree--a lone tuft in an empire of treeless distances. They sang all at -once--a whirlwind of song. Two antelope herds were on separate -skylines. The silvery, melodious peal of the yellow-breasted meadow -lark rang out all over the wide wild prairie. Prairie dogs scampered, -barked, and played; butterflies circled and floated above the -scattered and stunted sage; thousands of small birds were busy with -nest and song, and countless ragged spaces of brilliant wild flowers -illuminated the grass-green surface to every horizon. - -The antelope is known as the pronghorn, because of a single small -prong on each horn. This prong is more like a guard and serves as a -hilt. In fighting an antelope often catches its opponent's thrust on -this prong. The horn commonly is less than ten inches long. Many -females do not have horns, and rarely are these fully developed on any -female. - -Deer and elk have deciduous horns--that is, horns that are shed -annually. Goat and bighorn never shed their horns. But each year -antelope sheds the outer part--the point and sheath--of the horn, -retaining the stubs or stumps which grow new horns. - -The antelope has a number of marked characteristics and some of these -are unique. It is without dew claws; the hair is hollow and filled -with pitch; teeth are of peculiar pattern; it eats mostly bitter or -pungent food; has large, long-range eyes of almost telescopic power; -has numerous and scattered scent glands; is without colour -camouflage--in fact, its colour is in part revealing, for the -bristling of its white buttocks serves to give signal flashes. The -antelope is the plains' graceful racing model of long and successful -development. It is either the least--the smallest--or near the -smallest of our hoofed wild animals. - -The antelope is specialized in speed. If there were to be a -free-for-all race on the plains, with deer, antelope, elk, sheep, -bear, lion, coyote, fox, dog, horse, and even the rabbit as starters, -the antelope generally would be the winner, whether the race was for -one mile or ten. Perhaps the blooded race horse and the greyhound -would outstrip him, but among wild animals the antelope is the speedy -one. - -Wolves and coyotes pursue the pronghorn in relays or capture it -strategically through various kinds of mutual aid. Now and then an -antelope will turn upon its pursuers and fight them fiercely, -occasionally triumphantly. - -On the Great Plains in western Nebraska I saw two speeding objects -stirring dust on the horizon. It was an antelope cut off from the -flock and pursued by a wolf. They plunged for a moment or two in a dip -of the plains, then reappeared. With glasses on them I saw the -pursuing wolf drop out and another wolf leap from concealment to -relieve him. Following them through glasses as they raced on skyline -against a cloud, dropped below eyeline, dashed behind a butte, swiftly -the great circle followed brought them within half a mile. In plain -view another wolf leaped into the race. The antelope was nearly -exhausted. The wolves were leaping at her throat as she disappeared -over a ridge. Little puffs of dust showed the advance of pursuer and -pursued. These grew dim and I watched for the runners to come up on -the skyline. But they never appeared. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _A Wild Life Trail Centre_] - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _My Departing Caller_] - -I watched a coyote walk back and forth close to a mother antelope with -two young kids. She paid no apparent attention to him. But she was -besieged. After two or three hours he was relieved by another coyote. -This was a new and rather leisurely way of relaying. Evidently the -devilish plan was to wear the antelope out or stay until she was -forced to go for water and then seize the youngsters. - -It was more than fifteen miles to the next water-hole. This may have -been the second or even the third day that the coyotes had been -worrying her. I frightened them away, but had not gone half a mile -when I saw them circling back again. I do not know the end of the -story, but as I walked on I wished that this mother antelope might -have possessed the special development of the pronghorn in the desert -regions--the ability to do without water for days at a time. - -The food of the pronghorn is sage, greasewood, sometimes cactus, and, -on the desert, broomrape. I do not recall ever seeing him eat grass. -In the extremely arid regions of the Southwest the local flocks, in -common with mountain sheep and other animals of the desert, have -developed the habit of doing without water for days--sometimes for a -period of two weeks or longer have no other moisture than that -furnished by the plants eaten. - -When the young antelope are about three weeks old they appear to have -full use of their legs and usually follow the mother in feedings and -fights. At this time numbers of mothers and youngsters collect and run -together. They are thus enabled to give mutual aid and to withstand -coyotes and other enemies better. Sometimes under dangerous conditions -the young are left behind while some of the mothers go for water, and -on their return the remaining ones go. Just why this mutual aid is not -practised while the young are almost helpless is not clear. - -In early autumn all ages and sexes unite and commonly run together, -often in large flocks, throughout the winter. The youngsters often -play together. Frequently one of the males is the lively leader of -twenty or thirty. At other times the old antelopes play, go through a -series of marches and countermarches. They race back and forth and -over short circles. When thus engaged they commonly have sentinels -posted on the outskirts. - -Most other animals appear to forget possible enemies while playing, -but the nervous antelope, with big open spaces round it, appears never -to be quite in repose. - -Depending upon speed rather than upon stealth, fighting ability, or -concealment, as a means of escaping enemies, and living in the plains -with a magnificence of unobstructed distances, it has learned to be -watchful, to use sentinels, and to flee even when danger is afar. - -Usually when the antelope lies down it selects a spot well away from -any ravine, bluff, willow clump, or sagebrush thicket that could -conceal an enemy or that would enable an enemy to approach it closely -unseen. - -Under most conditions the female appears to be the acknowledged -leader. In the majority of instances in which I have watched moving -flocks of antelope--fleeing small numbers or a number of alarmed -antelope preparing to move--it was under female leadership. - -The pronghorn lives in a home territory. This I think is rarely more -than six or eight miles in diameter. If pursued by man, dogs, or -wolves it is likely to run in great circles, keeping within the bounds -of home territory. Most antelope are not migratory, but in a few -localities the flocks make a short migration. For winter they may -travel to a more broken locality, one that gives some shelter from the -wind and contains spaces off which the wind sweeps the snow. - -The antelope makes long leaps but not high jumps. I watched an -antelope that had been separated from the flock hurrying to rejoin it. -In its way was a line of willows along the dry, shallow water channel. -This willow stretch was not wide nor high. A deer would have leaped it -without the slightest hesitation. The antelope went far round and -jumped wide gullies, but made no attempt to leap this one low line of -willows. Being a plains animal, knowing but little of cliffs and -timber, it has not learned high jumping. - -For ages the antelope was thickly scattered over the Great Plains and -the small parks of the West, Northwest, and Southwest. Fifty years ago -they were numbered by millions. The present antelope population -numbers not more than 15,000. Howard Eaton tells me that years ago he -sometimes saw several thousand in a single day. Once when a boy I saw -at least a thousand in a North Park, Colorado, flock. - -A few are now protected in the national parks and in private antelope -reserves. But they are verging well toward extermination. Rarely does -the antelope thrive in captivity. Apparently the food ordinarily fed -it in captivity does not agree with it. - -Mature antelope are marked with what may be called revealing colours, -which advertise their presence and make them easily visible at long -distances: rich tan to grayish brown on the back and sides, with clean -white buttocks and sides of face and belly; the throat faintly striped -with white and brown; and a touch of near-black on the head. The -antelope's colour is so distinctive and stands out so well against -most backgrounds that it may be classed as an animal with revealing -coloration. - -Two white rump patches flare up during excitement; the crowded and -bristling hairs may be seen at surprisingly long distances. - -Possibly these hairs are also under conscious control. At any rate, -let one or a number on a ridge see an approaching enemy and these -white patches stand out, and the next adjacent flock, even though two -or three miles away, will see the sign--or signal--and also take -alarm. Though the antelope does not do any wireless wigwagging, the -sudden flare of white buttocks is revealing. - -Depending chiefly on speed in escaping his enemies, the antelope has -also the added advantage of being able to detect an enemy while he is -still afar. The plains where he lives enable him to see objects miles -away, and his eyes being of telescopic nature ofttimes enable him to -determine whether a distant moving object is friend or foe. - -It thus is important that an antelope be so marked that another -antelope will recognize him at long range. Each flock of antelope -watches the distant surrounding flocks, and each flock thus mutually -aids the others by acting as an outlying sentinel for it. If a flock -sees an object approaching that may be an enemy it strikes attitudes -which proclaim alarm, and, definitely marked, their actions at once -give eye messages of alarm to all flocks in view and close enough to -make out what they are doing. It would thus seem that the revealing -colours of the antelope have been of help in protecting--that is, -perpetuating, the species. - -The antelope is nervous and is easily thrown into a panic. Though it -is often canny and courageous, it lacks the coolness, the alertness, -and the resourcefulness--that is to say, the quick wit and -adaptability--of the mountain sheep. In the Yellowstone and the Wind -Cave National Parks are numbers of antelope. Many of these have -readjusted themselves to the friendly conditions and have lost most of -their nervousness and fear of man. - -They have a bump of curiosity. I paused one afternoon to talk to a -homesteader on the prairie. He was fencing, and presently commenced -stretching a line of barbed wire. The penetrating squeaks of the wire -reached the ears of several unseen antelope and appealed to their -curiosity. They came close, about the distance from third to home -plate. - -Well might they have shown concern at barbed wire! It has wrought -terrific destruction to the species. - -A generation or so ago it appears to have been easy for the hunter by -displaying a red flag or some partly concealed moving object to rouse -antelope curiosity and to lure numbers. I have repeatedly seen this -trick tried and a few times I have patiently endeavoured with this -appeal to bring a flock within range of my double-barrelled field -glass, but I didn't succeed. They promptly went over the horizon. They -are curious still, but have become wiser. - -I suppose it will never do to reach final conclusions concerning what -an animal will do under new conditions. After a few years of intimate -acquaintance with the plains antelope I visited the Yellowstone -region, thinking that I was well grounded in all antelope habits. One -day I came upon a flock in a deep grassy forest bay in the edge of a -dense woods. Thinking to get close I walked in behind them. To my -amazement they darted into the woods, dodging trees right and left -like lightning, and hurdling fallen trees as readily as any deer or -mountain sheep that I have seen. They well illustrated a phase of -animal behaviour called ecology, or response to environment. - -The pronghorn or antelope is distinctly American. Fossilized antelope -bones have been found in western Nebraska that are estimated to be two -million years old. This antelope family is not related to the African -or Asiatic antelope, nor to any American mammal species; it is alone -in the world. - -Many prehistoric species of animals that lived in the same scenes with -the ancient ancestors of the antelope have been extinct for thousands -of years. The rhinoceros, toothed birds, American horses, ponderous -reptiles, and numerous other species failed to do what the antelope -did--readjust to each radical change and survive. Climatic changes, -new food, strange enemies, uplifts, subsidences, wild volcanic -outpourings, the great Ice Age--over all these the antelope has -triumphed. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE MOUNTAIN LION - - -Raising my eyes for an instant from the antics of a woodchuck, they -caught a movement of the tall grass caused by a crawling animal. This -presently showed itself to be a mountain lion. He was slipping up on a -mare and colt on the opposite edge of the meadow. The easy air that -was blowing across my face--from horse to lion--had not carried a -warning of my presence to either of them. - -I was in Big Elk Park, seated on a rock pile, and was nearly concealed -by drooping tree limbs. Behind me rose the forested Twin Peaks, and -before me a ragged-edged mountain meadow lay in the forest; and across -this meadow the lion crawled. - -The colt kicked up its heels as it ran merry circles round its mother. -This beautiful bay mare, like her colt, was born in unfenced scenes -and had never felt the hand of man. She had marked capability and the -keenness exacted by wilderness environment. - -I watched the bending grass as the lion crept closer and closer. -Occasionally I caught a glimpse of the low-held body and the alert -raised head. The back-pointing, sensitive three-foot tail, as restless -as an elephant's trunk, kept swinging, twitching, and feeling. -Planning before the lion was within leaping distance to warn the mare -with a yell, I sat still and watched. - -The well-developed and ever-alert senses of the mare--I know not -whether it was scent or sight--brought a message of danger. Suddenly -she struck an attitude of concentration and defiance, and the -frightened colt crowded to her side. How capable and courageous she -stood, with arched neck, blazing eyes, vigilant ears, and haughty -tail! She pawed impatiently as the lion, now near, watchful and -waiting, froze. - -Suddenly he leaped forward, evidently hoping to stampede both animals -and probably to seize the separated colt. Instantly the mother -wheeled, and her outkicking heels narrowly missed the lion's head. -Next the lion made a quick side-leap to avoid being stamped beneath -the mare's swift front feet. - -For half a minute the mare and lion were dodging and fighting with all -their skill. A splendid picture the mare made with erect tail and -arched neck as she struck and wheeled and kicked! - -Again and again the lion tried to leap upon the colt; but each time -the mother was between them. Then, watching his chance, he boldly -leaped at the mare, endeavouring to throw a forepaw round her neck -and, at the same instant, to seize and tear the throat with his savage -teeth. He nearly succeeded. - -With the lion clinging and tearing at her head, the audacious mare -reared almost straight on her hind legs and threw herself backward. -This either threw the lion off or he let go. She had her nose badly -clawed and got a bite in the neck; but she was first to recover, and a -kick landed upon the lion's hip. Crippled, he struggled and hurried -tumbling away into the woods, while the bleeding mare paused to -breathe beside the untouched colt. - -The mountain lion is called a puma, catamount, panther, painter, or -cougar, and was originally found all over North America. Of course he -shows variations due to local climate and food. - -The lion is stealthy, exceedingly cunning, and curious in the extreme; -but I am not ready, as many are, to call him cowardly. He does not -have that spectacular rash bravery which dashes into the face of -almost certain death; but he is courageous enough when necessity -requires him to procure food or to defend himself and his kind. He -simply adapts himself to conditions; and these exact extreme caution. - -The mountain lion may be called sagacious rather than audacious. -Settlers in his territory are aware of his presence through his -hogging the wild game and his occasional or frequent killing of colts, -horses, cattle, sheep, and chickens. But so seldom is he seen, or even -heard, that, were it not for his tracks and the deadly evidence of his -presence, his existence could not be believed. - -Though I have camped in his territory for weeks at a time, and -ofttimes made special efforts to see him, the number of lions I have -seen--except, of course, those treed by dogs--is small. - -When a mountain lion is frightened, or when pursued by dogs, he is -pretty certain to take refuge in a tree. This may be a small tree or a -large one. He may be out on a large limb or up in the top of the tree. - -The lion is a fair runner and a good swimmer. Often he has been known -to swim across lakes, or even arms of the sea, more than a mile wide. -And he is an excellent tree climber, and often uses a living tree or a -dead leaning one as a thoroughfare--as a part of his trail system on a -steep mountain side. Twice I have seen him on a near-by limb at night -watching me or my fire. Once I woke in the night and saw a lion upon -two out-reaching tree limbs not more than eight feet above me. His -hind feet were upon one limb, his forefeet upon a lower limb, and he -was looking down, watching me curiously. He remained in this position -for several minutes, then turned quietly, descended the tree on the -opposite side, and walked away into the woods. - -It is probable that lions mate for life. Sometimes they live year -after year in the same den and prowl over the same local territory. -This territory, I think, is rarely more than a few miles across; -though where food is scarce or a good den not desirably located, they -may cover a larger territory. - -Lions commonly live in a den of their own making. This is sometimes -dug in loose sand or soil where its entrance is concealed among -bushes. Sometimes it is beneath a fallen log or a tree root, and in -other places a semi-den, beneath rocks, is enlarged. In this den the -young are born, and the old ones may use it a part of each year, and -for year after year. - -Though occasionally a mother lion may raise as many as five kittens, -rarely does she succeed in raising more than two; and I think only two -are commonly brought forth at a birth. These kittens probably remain -with the mother for nearly a year, and in exceptional cases even -longer. As I have seen either kittens or their tracks at every season -of the year, I assume the young may be born at any time. - -The mountain lion is a big-whiskered cat and has many of the traits -possessed by the average cat. He weighs about one hundred and fifty -pounds and is from seven to eight feet long, including a three-foot -tail. He is thin and flat-sided and tawny in colour. He varies from -brownish red to grayish brown. He has sharp, strong claws. - -Mr. Roosevelt once offered one thousand dollars for a mountain lion -skin that would measure ten feet from tip to tip. The money was never -claimed. Apparently, however, in the state of Washington a hunter did -succeed in capturing an old lion that weighed nearly two hundred -pounds and measured ten and a half feet from tip to tip. But most -lions approximate only one hundred pounds and measure possibly eight -feet from tip to tip. - -The lion eats almost anything. I have seen him catching mice and -grasshoppers. On one occasion I was lying behind a clump of willows -upon a beaver dam. Across the pond was an open grassy space. Out into -this presently walked a mountain lion. For at least half an hour he -amused or satisfied himself by chasing, capturing, and eating -grasshoppers. He then laid down for a few minutes in the sunshine; -but presently he scented something alarming and vanished into the -thick pine woods. - -One evening I sat watching a number of deer feeding on a terrace of a -steep mountain side. Suddenly a lion leaped out, landing on the neck -of one. Evidently the deer was off balance and on a steep slope. The -impact of the lion knocked him over, but like a flash he was upon his -feet again. Top-heavy with the lion, he slid several yards down a -steep place and fell over a precipice. The lion was carried with him. -I found both dead on the rocks below. - -The lion is a master of woodcraft. He understands the varying sounds -and silences of the forest. He either hides and lies in wait or slips -unsuspected upon his victim. He slips upon game even more stealthily -than man; and in choosing the spot to wait for a victim he usually -chooses wisely and, alert waits, if necessary, for a prolonged time. -He leaps upon the shoulders and neck of horse, deer, or sheep, and -then grabs the victim's throat in his teeth. Generally the victim -quickly succumbs. If a lion or lioness misses in leaping, it commonly -turns away to seek another victim. Rarely does it pursue or put up a -fight. - -A friend wished a small blue mule on me. It had been the man's -vacation pack animal. The mule loitered round, feeding on the -abundant grass near my cabin. The first snow came. Twenty-four hours -later the mule was passing a boulder near my cabin when a lion leaped -upon him and throttled him. Tracks and scattered hair showed that the -struggle had been intense though brief. - -Not a track led to the boulder upon which the lion had lain in wait, -and, as the snow had fallen twenty-four or more hours before the -tragedy, he must have been there at least twenty-four hours, and he -may have waited twice as long. - -Another time I frightened a lion from a cliff where he was waiting for -a near-by flock of bighorn sheep to come within leaping distance. -Though it was nearly forty-eight hours since snow had ceased falling, -not a track led to the lion's watching place or blind. - -The lion probably is the game hog of the wilds. Often I have read his -red records in the snow. On one occasion he killed nine mountain sheep -in one attack. He ate a few pounds of one of them and never returned -to the kill. On another occasion he killed eleven domestic sheep in -one night. Inside of twenty-four hours a lion killed a doe, a fawn, a -porcupine, a grouse, and was making a try for a mountain sheep when I -appeared on snowshoes. He seems to prefer colts or horses for food. - - [Illustration: - _Photo. by Enos A. Mills_ - _Johnny, My Grizzly Cub_] - - [Illustration: - _Drawing by Will James_ - _Echo Mountain Grizzly_] - -Mr. J. A. McGuire, editor of _Outdoor Life_, who has made special -investigations concerning the killings of mountain lions, estimates -that a lion will kill a deer every week if he has the opportunity to -do so. From personal experience I have known him to kill four deer in -a single week. - -On one occasion, when I was hidden and watching the carcass of a deer -which a lion had killed to see what carnivorous animal might come to -the feast, a mountain lion walked quietly and unalertly to it and -commenced to eat. After a few minutes the lion suddenly bristled up -and spat in the direction from which a grizzly bear presently -appeared. With terrible snarling and threatening, the lion held on to -the prize until the grizzly was within a few feet. He then leaped -toward the grizzly with a snarl, struck at it, and dashed into the -woods. The grizzly, without even looking round to see where the lion -had gone, began eating. - -From many experiences I believe that much of the killing of domestic -and wild animals attributed to bears is done by lions. The lion -prefers warm blood and fresh meat for each meal, and will kill daily -if there is opportunity. I have known bears to follow mountain lions -evidently for the purpose of obtaining food. One day I came upon the -recently killed carcass of a cow. Only mountain lion tracks led to it -and from it. The following night I spent at a near-by ranch house, and -the rancher informed me that on the previous day he had discovered a -bear eating the carcass of this cow which he accused the bear of -killing. The lion is a most capable raider of ranches, and colts, -horses, sheep, pigs, and poultry are his prizes. - -In northern New Mexico one day I saw a lion bounding across an opening -carrying a tame sheep in its mouth. On another occasion I saw a lion -carrying off a deer that apparently weighed much more than the lion -itself. The lion appeared to have the deer by the shoulder, and it was -resting on the lion's shoulders in such a way that I do not believe it -touched the ground. - -I suppose when the lion makes a kill in an out-of-the-way place, where -he may eat with comparative safety, he does not take the trouble to -carry or to drag the victim off. Often, of course, the kill is made -for the benefit of the young, and hence must be transported to the -den. - -It is quite true that he will sometimes wander back to his kill day -after day and feast upon it. It is also true, when food is scarce, -that lions will eat almost anything, even though they have nothing to -do with the killing. They have been trapped at the bait that was out -for bears: and so, though a lion prefers blood and warm meat, he will -return to his kill to feast, or, if food is scarce, gladly eat -whatever he can obtain. - -From many observations I judge that after eating he prefers to lie -down for a few hours in some sunny or secluded spot, or on a -many-branched limb generally well up toward the top of the tree but -sometimes not more than ten feet above the earth. - -The lion has extreme curiosity. He will follow travellers for hours if -there is opportunity to keep out of sight while doing so. Often during -long snowshoe trips I have returned over the route first travelled. -Lion tracks in the snow showed that I was repeatedly followed for -miles. In a number of places, where I had taken a long rest, the lion -had crept up close, so that he could easily watch me; and on a few -occasions he must have been within a few feet of me. - -While walking through a forest in the Medicine Bow Mountains I was -startled and knocked down by a glancing blow of a tree limb. This limb -had evidently broken off under the weight of a lion. The lion also -came tumbling down but caught a claw on a limb and saved himself from -striking the earth. Evidently in his curiosity to see me he had leaned -out too far on a weak limb. He fled in confusion, perhaps even more -frightened than myself. - -The mountain lion is not ferocious. Mr. Roosevelt, in summing up its -characteristics, concluded that it would be no more dangerous to sleep -in woods populated with mountain lions than if they were so many -ordinary cats. - -In addition to years of camping in the wilds in all sorts of places -and under all conditions of weather I have talked with careful -frontiersmen, skillful hunters and trappers, and these people -uniformly agreed with what I have found to be true--that the instances -of mountain lions attacking human beings are exceedingly rare. In each -of these cases the peculiar action of the lion and the comparative -ineffectiveness of his attacks indicated that he was below normal -mentally or nearly exhausted physically. - -Two other points of agreement are: Rarely does any one under ordinary -conditions see a lion; and just as rarely does one hear its call. Of -the dozen or more times I have heard the screech of the lion, on three -occasions there was a definite cause for the cry--on one a mother -frantically sought her young, which had been carried off by a trapper; -and twice the cry was a wail, in each instance given by the lion -calling for its mate, recently slain by a hunter. - -During the past thirty years I have investigated dozens of stories -told of lions leaping upon travellers from cliffs or tree limbs, or of -other stealthy attacks. When run down each of these proved to be an -invention; in most cases not a lion or even lion track had been seen. - -Two instances of lion attacks are worth mentioning. One night in -California a lion leaped from a cliff, struck a man, knocked him down, -and then ran away. Out of this incident have come numerous stories of -lion ferocity. The lion was tracked, however, and the following day -the pursuing hunter saw it crossing an opening. It suddenly clawed and -hit at a boulder. Then, going on, it apparently ran into a tree, and -fought that. As it started on the hunter shot it. This beast was badly -emaciated, had a swollen face from an ulcerated tooth, and was nearly, -if not entirely, blind. - -Another instance apparently was of a weak-minded lion. As though to -attack, it came toward a little ten-year-old girl in Idaho. She struck -it over the head with a bridle she was carrying. Her brother hurried -to the rescue with a willow fishing pole. Together they beat the lion -off and escaped with a few bad scratches. Yet had this been a lion of -average strength and braveness he must have killed or severely injured -both. - -The mountain lion rivals the shark, the devilfish, and the grizzly in -being the cause of ferocious tales. The fact that he takes refuge on -limbs as a place of lookout to watch for people or other objects, and -that he frequently follows people for hours through the woods without -their ever seeing him--and, I suppose, too, the very fact that he is -so rarely seen--make him a sort of storm centre, as it were, for -blood-curdling stories. - -Through years I investigated plausible accounts of the ferocity of -mountain lions. These investigations brought little information, but -they did disclose the fact that there are a few types of lion tales -which are told over and over again, with slight local variations. -These tales commonly are without the slightest basis of fact. They are -usually revamped by a clever writer, a frightened hunter, or an -interesting story teller, as occasions offer. One of the commonest of -the oft-told tales that have come to me through the years is as -follows: - -"Late Saturday evening, while Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were returning from -the village through the woods, they were attacked by a half-starved -mountain lion. The lion leaped out upon them from brush by the -roadside and attempted to seize Mr. Simpson. Though an old man, he put -up a fight, and at last beat off the lion with the butt of the buggy -whip." - -Sometimes this is a family and the time of day is early morning. -Sometimes the lion is ferocious instead of half-starved. Sometimes it -is of enormous size. Once in a while he leaps from a cliff or an -overhanging tree limb. Generally he chews and claws someone up pretty -badly, and occasionally attempts to carry off one of the children. - -Many times my letter addressed to one of the party attacked is -returned unclaimed. Sometimes my letter to the postmaster or the -sheriff of the locality is returned with the information: "No such -party known." Now and then I ask the sheriff, the postmaster, or the -storekeeper some questions concerning this attack, and commonly their -replies are: "It never happened"; "It's a pipe dream"; "A pure fake"; -or "Evidently whoever told you that story had one or two drinks too -many." - -One day I came out of the woods in the rear of a saw-mill. I was -making my way to the living room of the place, between logs and lumber -piles. Right round the corner of a slab heap I caught sight of a -mountain lion just as it leaped at me. It missed me intentionally, and -at once wheeled and rose up to play with me. In the two or three -seconds that elapsed between the time I had my first glimpse of it and -when I realized it was a pet I had almost concluded that, after all, a -lion may be a ferocious animal. - -On one occasion, when I was on a cliff at the edge of a grassy -opening, I was astonished to see a coyote trot leisurely across and -just before he disappeared in the woods a lion appear on the opposite -side of the opening, following contentedly along the trail of the -coyote. The next day I again saw this friendly pair, but on this -occasion the lion was leading and the coyote following. Afterward I -saw their tracks a number of times. - -Just why they were associated in this friendly manner we can only -conjecture. It will be readily seen that the coyote, which has all the -wisdom of a fox, might follow a game-hog lion about and thus, with -little effort, get a substantial and satisfactory food supply. But why -the lion should willingly associate with a coyote is not quite clear. -Perhaps this association proved to be of some advantage to the lion in -his killing, or it may have been just one of those peculiar, -unaccounted-for attachments occasionally seen between animals. - -In any discussion concerning the mountain lion, or, for that matter, -any living animal, hardly can the last word be said concerning the -character of the individual of the species. Individuals vary, and now -and then a mountain lion, as well as a human being, shows marked and -peculiar traits. These may be the result of unusual alertness and -sheer curiosity, or they may be subnormal, and cruel or murderous. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -FAMINE IN BEAVER-LAND - - -Cold weather came one fall before my new beaver neighbours had laid in -their winter's food. They had harvested one food supply several miles -down stream but a fierce forest fire had devastated the region while -they were in the midst of their preparations for winter and left their -home site unliveable. The beavers in a body started off to found a new -colony, having the hardships and adventures that ever fall to -pioneers. - -The place selected for their new home was on a tributary stream not -far from my cabin. Here they built a typical house of sticks, sod, and -mud. The stream ran through an old glacier meadow partly overgrown -with forest. One side carried a belt of pines. Beyond the pines was a -ragged and extensive growth of quaking aspen. Up stream the mountain -rose steeply to the summit of Mt. Meeker. - -While the beavers were working on a dam which was to give them ample -water in the pond to prevent its freezing to the bottom, a trapper -came into the region. He lingered and broke and rebroke the dam three -or four times. When he finally left, autumn was half gone and -preparations for winter in the new colony were only well begun. The -dam was still low and uncompleted. As yet they had not begun cutting -and storing aspen for their winter's food supply. - -These beavers had been industrious. They had planned well. But it was -a case of one misfortune quickly following another. A severe cold wave -still further and seriously handicapped the harvest gathering of the -colonists. The quieter reaches of the stream were frozen over and a -heavy plating of ice was left on the pond. They would have difficulty -transporting their food-cut aspens under such conditions. - -Winter supplies for this colony--green aspen or birch trees--must be -had. Ordinarily, beavers cut the trees most easily obtained: first -those on the shore of the pond, then those up stream, and finally -those on near-by, down-hill slopes. Rarely does a beaver go fifty feet -from the water. But if necessary he will go down stream and float -trees against the current, or drag trees up steep slopes. This pond -did not have, as is common, a border of aspen trees. - -Late October I visited this new wilderness home. In the lower end of -the frozen pond was a two-foot hole in the ice. This had been gnawed -by the beavers, but for what purpose I could not then imagine. - -One crew of loggers had started to work in a grove about two hundred -feet from the hole in the ice. They were cutting aspens that were -about four inches in diameter and twelve feet high. But before -dragging them to the pond an opening or trailway through the woods had -been cleared. Every bush in the way was cut off, every obstructing log -cut in two and the ends rolled aside. - -Dragging their tree cuttings to the pond was slow, hard work, and it -was also dangerous work for a slow-moving beaver to go so far from the -water. A beaver is heavy bodied and short-legged. With webbed hind -feet he is a speedy swimmer, but on land he is a lubber and moves -slowly and with effort. - -A few days later the purpose of the hole in the ice of the frozen pond -was made plain. A freshly swept trail in the snow led to it out of the -woods. The beavers were taking their green aspen cuttings through the -hole into the pond for their winter's food. They had begun storing -winter food at last. - -I followed the trail back to where a number of aspens had been cut. -Their stumps were about fifteen inches above the snow. Two trees still -lay where they fell. These were about six inches in diameter and -perhaps twenty feet long. Preparatory to being dragged to the pond -they had been gnawed into sections of from three to six feet. - -The beavers had not nearly finished their harvesting when a heavy fall -of snow came and they were compelled to abandon their carefully made -dragway and the aspen grove where they had been cutting. The nearest -aspens now available were only sixty feet from the edge of the pond. -But a thick belt of pines and a confusion of large, fallen, -fire-killed spruce logs lay between the pond and this aspen grove. - -Deep snow, thick pines, and fallen logs did not stop their -harvest-gathering efforts. Tracks in the snow showed that they went to -work beyond the belt of pines. During one night five beavers had -wallowed out to the aspens, felled several and dragged them into the -pond. But wolves appeared to realize the distress of the beavers. They -lurked about for opportunities to seize these hunger-driven animals. -While harvesting the aspen grove wolves had pounced upon one of the -beavers at work and another on his way to the pond had been pursued, -overtaken, and killed in the deep snow. - -During three days of good weather which followed, ever watchful for -wolves, the beavers cut few aspens. Then came another snowstorm. The -work of harvesting winter supplies was still further hindered. - -But beavers never give up. To obtain aspens which were to supply them -with winter food they finally dug a tunnel. They began this on the -bottom of the pond near the shore and dug outward toward the aspen -grove. The tunnel was about two feet under the surface for fifteen -feet. From this point it inclined upward and came out under a pine -tree, close to the aspens. In only the last few feet, where the -digging was through frozen ground, was there difficult digging of this -tunnel. Apparently the thick carpet of fallen leaves and the deep snow -checked the frost and the earth had not frozen deeply. - -From the end of this tunnel the beavers cleared a dragway about -eighteen inches wide to the aspen grove. In doing this they cut -through three or four large logs and tunnelled under a number of -others. Then aspens were felled, cut in short sections, dragged to the -end of the tunnel, pushed through this out into the pond beneath the -ice, and finally piled on the bottom of the pond close to the house. - -Solid snowdrifts formed in the grove while this slow work of -transportation was going on. A few aspens were cut from the top of a -five-foot snowdrift. The following summer these stumps suggested that -prehistoric beavers--large as bears--had reappeared on earth. - -At last cold, ice, snow, and enemies completely stopped the beavers' -harvest gathering. The food provided for the colony's winter supply -was less than one half that needed. But the beavers had done their -best, and come what may, they would alertly, stoically meet it. - -These colonists had a hard winter. I visited them a number of times. -Now and then snow covered the frozen pond, but usually the wind in -sweeping down the open-stream avenue through the woods left the ice -clear. One day, looking through the clear ice of the pond, I counted -six beavers, but on most occasions I was able to see only one or two. -The population of this colony probably numbered twelve or fifteen. - -The upper part of the area flooded by their pond had been a -semi-swampy tract bearing thick growths of water-loving plants. The -roots of sedge, bulbs of lilies, tubers of many plants, and long juicy -roots of willow and alder were made use of by these beavers facing a -food-shortage. - -I supposed it was only a question of time before they would be shut -off by the thick ice from this root supply. But they dug a deep -waterway--a canal about two feet wide and nearly as deep--from the -house in the centre of the pond to the heart of the rooty area. Even -after most of the pond was frozen to the bottom they had an open line -of communication with the root supplies. - -Mutual aid is a factor in beaver life. I do not know how many days' -work this ditch required; but when one of the beavers in a colony -work, all work. Since late summer these beavers had worked at one task -after another; they had unitedly worked for the welfare of each member -of the colony. With mutual aid beaver colonists achieve much in a -short time. Their strong love for home, causing them to remain long in -one place, and the peculiar work which this calls for, makes changes -on earth sometimes enduring for centuries. - -But they had only commenced to dig out the roots on the bottom of the -pond when the ever-thickening ice froze over this life-saving food -supply. The water would have been deeper over this area but the -beavers' early hard luck had prevented their building the dam as high -as it should have been. - -I do not know how they handled the food-shortage, whether or not they -went on short rations. But no beaver had more than his portion, for -beavers are cooperators, they work in common, and so long as the food -supply lasts each has his share. - -I had glimpses of the beavers' eager digging through the clear spots -in the ice. They tore the root-filled section to pieces and devoured -all that it contained. But not until the following summer, when the -broken dam released the water, did I realize how deeply and completely -the bottom of the pond had been stirred and ploughed. I have seen -gardens uprooted by hogs, and mountain meadows dug to pieces by -grizzly bears, but neither of them equalled this. - -The supply of roots ran out and the bark of the green aspens was eaten -off, and still this mountain region was white with winter and the pond -locked and sealed with ice. Beavers are strict vegetarians. There were -trout in the pond, but these were not caught; nor were the bodies of -the starved ones eaten, as sometimes occurs among other animals. The -beavers must escape from their now foodless prison or perish. - -Spring examinations which I made indicated that they had tried to -escape through the long tunnel which had been made to obtain the -aspens, but this had nearly filled with ice. They had then driven -several feet of a new tunnel, but evidently found they could not -accomplish it through the frozen, gravelly earth. Beavers are -engineers--the handling of earth in building dams or in the making of -canals is as much in their line as tree felling--but cutting and -tunnelling through gravelly, frozen earth is near impossible for -them. - -They then attempted to cut a hole upward through the two feet of ice, -as I found out later when the ice was breaking up. And they had almost -succeeded. On the edge of their house they had raised a working -foundation of mud and sticks and gnawed upward to within three or four -inches of the surface. Beavers are expert gnawers and have been known -with their powerful teeth and strong jaws to gnaw off and fell trees -more than two feet in diameter. Perhaps they might have succeeded -eventually, but they apparently found another and better way out of -the pond. - -What they finally did was to tunnel out through the unfrozen earth -beneath the bottom of the dam. They had commenced on the bottom of the -pond and driven a fifteen-inch tunnel nearly level through the base of -the dam, and a foot or two beneath the water and below frostline. This -came out in the ice-covered stream channel, beneath the frozen earth. -As this tunnel had to be dug under water, it must have been slow work -and to have constantly called for relay efforts. When a working beaver -had to breathe it was necessary for him to swim to the house and climb -up to the floor, above water level, in order to obtain air. - -Tracks of six muddy-footed fellows on the snow at the outer end of the -successful tunnel told the number who survived the winter's -food-shortage. Spring came, and warmth and flood water broke up the -ice on the pond about a month after they escaped. No young beavers -were seen. These surviving beavers lived in bank holes along the -stream until summer. Then they wandered away. Late that August they, -or six other beavers, came to the place. They completed the dam and -repaired the house, and by mid-October had a huge pile of food stored -in the pond for the winter. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -DOG-TOWN DIGGINGS - - -About thirty years ago a cowboy took me out to see "The big Dog-town." -This metropolis was in the heart of the great plains near the -Kansas-Colorado line. For five hours we rode westward along the -southern limits of the town. It extended on over the horizon more than -two miles wide and about forty miles long. A town with a population of -two million! - -Its visible inhabitants would have astounded a census-taker or a -dog-catcher. Thousands of prairie dogs were yipping and barking more -than sixty times a minute, and stub tails were whizzing away at the -same time. We rode out among the crowded and protesting dogs and -stopped to watch them. A number ducked into their holes. - -Around each hole was an earthy collar less than two feet across and -four or five inches high. At a distance this earthy collar surrounding -the hole had the appearance of a low mound. Evidently this mound is to -keep out storm water. - -There were thousands of these holes, each with its dog. One near-by -dog sat up on his mound like a ten-pound sea lion. He watched us with -concentrated attention. His tongue and tail were still. When my hat -started toward him he simply dropped into the hole. There were -scattered holes which had a rabbit or two little owls at its doorway. -Throughout the town were little orchards of dwarfed sagebrush and a -scattering of tall weeds. A showy bed of prickly pear cactus inside -the town limits was not inhabited. - -The prairie dog is a sun worshipper. He keeps aloof from localities -where willows are an enemy-hiding screen and where trees cast a -shadow. His populous cities are in arid lands where for three hundred -days each year they have their place in the sun. - -The dogs seemed to be ever moving about, visiting or barking. A young -dog near me ambled over to visit another. These two called on a third -and while in session were joined by one's, two's, and companies until -there were several dozen massed. - -A young dog left his hole-top after a survey and started off for a -call. But he turned aside to join and mingle with the crowd for a -minute or two, then went on with his call. All this time there were -several dogs behind me energetically protesting at or about -something. Cheerfulness and vivacity characterized this fat, numerous -people, but they were always alert, and commonly maintained sentinels -scattered throughout the town. - -While numbers were visiting or playing a few were feeding. They -appeared to feed at all times of the day. But I do not believe that -they eat half the food of the average woodchuck. The short grass was -the principal food. They also ate of the various weeds around. I do -not recall seeing them eat the bark of sagebrush or any part of the -prickly pear. - -Prairie dogs must materially assist in soil formation. Their digging -and tunnelling lets dissolving water and disintegrating air into the -earth and deepens the prairie soil. - -The congesting population in time increases the soil supply. In places -and for a time this new soil seems to be helpful in increasing the -food supply, but after a time in many towns food becomes scarce. Food -scarcity causes movement. I have heard that the entire population of a -dog town, like an entire species of migrating birds, will leave the -old town and trek across the plains to a site of their liking. - -A generation ago the prairie dog population must have exceeded two -hundred millions. It was scattered over the great plains and the -rocky region from the Canadian line to Mexico. - -Dog towns are dry towns. My cowboy friend had repeated to me what -everyone thus far had told him: - -Prairie dogs dig down to water. - -Prairie dogs, snakes, and owls all use the same den. - -The water supply of dog towns and also their congested life so -interested me that I visited a number of them to study the manners and -customs of these citizens. - -For two months not a drop of rain had fallen in Cactus Center. Not a -bath nor a drink had the dogs enjoyed. I hurried into the town -immediately after a rain thinking the dogs might be on a spree. I had -supposed they would be drinking deeply again and swimming in the -pools. But there was no interest. I did not even see one have a drink, -although all may have had one. A few dogs were repairing the -levee-crater rim of their holes, but beyond this things went on as -usual. The rain did not cause dog town to celebrate. - -On a visit to the "Biggest dog town in the world," near the Staked -Plains in Texas, and where there were dogs numbering many millions, I -watched well drillers at a number of places. Several of these wells, -in the limits of dog town, struck water at three hundred feet, none -less than this depth. This told that dogs did not dig down to water. -They are busy diggers and have five claws on each foot but they do not -dig through geological ages to obtain water. - -One day two cowboys came along with a shovel which was to be used in -setting up a circular corral and I excited their interest in prairie -dog dens. We made the dirt lively for two hours but we did not reach -bottom. I examined old and new gullies by dog towns but learned -nothing. Finally, a steam shovel revealed subterranean secrets. - -This steam shovel was digging a deep railroad cut through a dog town. -The dogs barked and protested, but railroads have the right of way. -The holes descended straight and almost vertically into the earth to -the depth of from ten to fourteen feet. From the bottom a tunnel -extended horizontally for from ten to forty feet. There was a pocket -or side passage in the vertical hole less than two feet below the top: -and a number of pockets or niches along the tunnel with buried -excrement in the farther end of the tunnel. The side niches were used -for sleeping places and side tracks. There was a network of connecting -tubes between the vertical holes and communicating tunnels between the -deeper tunnels. - -I found the underground works of the dogs similar in other railroad -cuts. None of the holes reached water, in fact, they were extra dry in -the bottom. - -Prairie dogs in common with many species of plants and animals of the -arid districts require and use but little water. Dogs do without water -for weeks except such moisture as is obtained from plants eaten. A -part of each year the plants are about as dry as dog biscuit. - -There were from a few dozen to a thousand dogs upon or in an acre; -from a few holes to more than one hundred in an area the size of a -baseball diamond. - -Although the plains had numerous large and populous places there were -leagues without a single dog. Apparently the dogs keep on the higher -and the well-drained land. - -One day I watched some fat, happy puppies amusing themselves. They -played, but without much pep, while mothers remained near to guard and -to admire. - -Prairie dogs often play. But never, I think, alone like the grizzly. -In groups and in hundreds they played the universal game of tag. They -were fat and low-geared and their running gallop made an amusing -effort to get somewhere. There were several boxing exhibitions, or -farces. Their fat bodies and extremely short legs and slow, awkward -movement made their efforts more ludicrous even than those of fat men -boxers. There was a kind of snake dance with entangled countermarching -in which most dogs tried to be dignified while many acted as though in -new company and did not know what was expected of them. - -One of their plays consisted in a single dog mimicking a stranger or -an enemy. A bunch of dogs acted as spectators while an old dog highly -entertained them by impersonating a coyote, at least his exhibition -reminded me very much of coyote. The old dog imitated the coyote's -progress through dog town, with the usual turning, looking, smelling, -and stopping. He looked into holes, rolled over, bayed at the heavens, -and even tried the three-legged gallop. During most of his stunts the -spectators were silent but toward the last he was applauded with -violent cursings and denunciation--at least so it sounded. A number of -other folks were imitated, but just who they were my natural history -and the actor's presentation gave no clue. Apparently the skunk was -imitated. The actor's interpretation was good. The congested audience -watched him closely, with now and then a yip, but mostly in silence. - -But sometimes there are less peaceful scenes in dog town. A dog town -without a coyote would be like Hades without Mephistopheles. - -The prairie dog likes to keep close to his hole, or to the hole of a -neighbour into which he can duck and escape the surprise raids of the -coyote. - -The coyote stalks patiently, hiding until a dog comes close or is too -far from his hole to outrun the coyote to it. Coyotes hunt in pairs or -fours and often while one, two, or three of them are holding the -attention of the dogs the other coyote makes a sudden dash. Sometimes -they take sheer delight in stirring up things in congested corners of -dog town. - -As I stood watching them, screened by the cottonwood, two coyotes -crossed the corner of dog town and set it all agog. While these -coyotes made their way leisurely through dog town the dogs sat on -their crater-like mounds and uttered rapid-fire protests, ready to -drop into safety in case of a rush by the coyotes. Suddenly two old -dogs wheeled and yapped at highest rattling speed. While the first -pair of coyotes was attracting attention a second pair appeared. The -old dogs violently denounced the second pair for this surprise. But -the coyote is ever doing the unexpected. - -On the outskirts of Cactus Center numerous pairs of coyotes had -enlarged prairie dog holes for a den. Pairs of prairie owls occupied -other deserted dog holes, rabbits possessed many, and two were taken -by skunk families. - -The black-footed ferret is the terrible enemy of prairie dogs. This -small, agile, powerful fellow boldly invades the dens and slays the -dog, rabbit or other inmates. The dogs do not appear even to attempt -to resist him. But apparently he does not often call. - -The mixed population of dog towns is not at peace. Lizards, rabbits, -dogs, owls, snakes congest in the same block, but the block is red in -tooth and claw. In a few cases I noticed these warring species all -used the same subway entrance, but below the surface they surely lived -in separate apartments. - -No, the rattlesnake, prairie dog, and owl do not lie down together, -unless a flood or other calamity throws them together. - -One time I was approaching a town limits where yelpings and yappings -filled the sky like a wind. From the summit of the ridge treeless, -houseless, fenceless plains extended in leagues of level distances to -every horizon. Before me there must have been one hundred thousand -dogs swarming like the inhabitants of a disturbed ant hill. Beside a -lone and grizzled old cottonwood I explored localities of dog town -through my glasses. - -Cloud shadows were sliding in silence across the green plains in -which the golden banner bloomed like broken yellow coral. A cottontail -hopped slowly from his hole to a clump of Spanish bayonet; buzzing -gnats and bees hummed by. Grasshoppers all jumping toward the town -limits suggested that they were abandoning the congested town. - -Suddenly there were two disturbances: Near me an old dog was set upon -by a protesting, noisy mob of dogs, while off on my left an invading -rattlesnake threw a locality into a frenzy of excitement. - -Apparently dogs aim to bury alive all enemies and invaders. The -frightened rattler was pursued by a screeching, noisy dog mob, and -driven into a dog hole. While two or three dogs kept watch of this, -other dogs were looking into or wildly watching other dog holes which -the snake might reach through underground tunnels. - -Out of one of these holes he glided and at him went the yapping, -snapping dog mob. Down into another hole he ducked. Evidently the dogs -realized that this hole was detached, and the dogs fell over each -other with efforts to claw earth into it. Presently the hole was -filled to the collar and the snake buried. On this filled hole the -dogs danced with weird and uncanny glee. - -The other dog mob evidently rough handled the outcast dog but I -missed most of this in watching the snake mob. It, too, was a -vehement, noisy mob. The wise old dog refused to go into a hole but -was literally jammed in, with earth clawed in after him until the hole -was filled, then another barbaric, triumphal war dance upon the buried -one. - -Rattlesnakes eat young dogs and sometimes boldly enter the dens for -them during the mother's absence. - -But what was the offense of the old dog which had been attacked by his -fellows? Was it crime or misdemeanour? Had he been misunderstood, or -was it a case of circumstantial evidence? In other dog towns I have -seen the populace putting one of their number to death, and in this -town, about two years later, I saw two dogs entombed by the same wild -mob. In this case even the sentinels forgot the coyote and joined the -mob. Were the executed ones murderers, robbers, or had they denied -some ancient and unworthy superstition and like reformers paid the -penalty of being in advance of popular opinion? - -One afternoon Cactus Center had a storm. Black clouds suddenly covered -the sky and a storm swept the prairie. A barrage of large hailstones -led, striking the prairie violently at an angle so sharp that stones -bounded and rolled for long distances. One which struck me in the -side felt like a thrown baseball. There was a thumping, deep roar -while they dashed meteorically down. - -Dog town watched the hail but was deserted before the first raindrop -fell. The downpour lasted for several minutes with a plentiful -accompaniment of crashing of lightning. - -A deep sheet of water swept down from the prairie beyond the town -limits to the west, where the rainfall was a cloudburst. The sheet of -water overspread the town and temporarily filled hundreds of the -inhabited dens. - -Out came the sputtering, protesting dogs. Numbers, perhaps hundreds, -were drowned. Across the soaked prairie I hurried, catching the -effects and the movements. I pulled several gurgling dogs from their -water-filled holes, each of them making nip-and-tuck efforts to climb -out. - -The following morning a pair of coyotes slipped up the invading gully -trench into town. Occasionally these crafty fellows peeked over the -bank. Then they crept farther in, and one peeped from a screen of -sagebrush on the bank. Suddenly both dashed out and each killed two -dogs. The entire village howled and yapped itself hoarse while the -invaders feasted within the town limits. Leisurely the coyote at last -moved on through the town turning aside to sniff at the drowned dogs. - -One spring I called early in Cactus Center and found blackbirds, -robins, and other northbound birds among the visitors. Among these was -a flock of golden plover, one of the greatest of bird travellers. -These birds were resting and feeding. They probably were on their way -from the far South American plains, to their nesting ground on the -treeless grassland around the Arctic Circle. - -During an early summer visit to this dog town it was decorated with -wild flowers--sand lilies, golden banner, creamy vetch, and prickly -poppy. I wandered about in the evening twilight looking at the evening -star flowers while a coyote chorus sounded strangely over the wide, -listening prairie. Near me was a dog hole; its owner climbed up to -peep out; in a minute or so he retired without a bark or a yap. - -The magnificent visible distances of the plains seem to create a -desire in its dwellers to see everything that is going on around. And -also a desire for sociability, for herds. Buffalo crowded in enormous -herds, the antelope were sometimes in flocks of thousands, and the -little yellow-brown dogs crowded and congested. - -The old cottonwood tree which stood on one edge of Cactus Center -dog-town limits was the observed of all observers. Through the years -it must have seen ten thousand tragedies, comedies, courtships, plays, -and games of these happy little people of the plains. - -No dog hole was within fifty feet of the old cottonwood tree. The tree -probably offered the wily coyote concealment behind which he sometimes -approached to raid; and from its top hawks often dived for young dogs, -for mice, and also for grasshoppers. I suppose owls often used it for -a philosophizing stand, and also for a point of vantage from which to -hoot derision on the low-down, numerous populace. - -But the old tree was not wholly allied with evil, and was a nesting -site for orioles, wrens, and bluebirds. From its summit through the -summer days the meadow lark with breast of black and gold would send -his silvery notes sweetly ringing across the wide, wide prairie. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -ECHO MOUNTAIN GRIZZLY - - -A grizzly bear's tracks that I came upon had the right forefoot print -missing. - -The trail of this three-legged bear was followed by the tracks of two -cubs--strangely like those of barefooted children--clearly impressed -in the snow. These tracks were only a few hours old. - -Hoping to learn where this mother grizzly and her cubs came from I -back-tracked through the November snows in a dense forest for about -twenty miles. This trail came out of a lake-dotted wooded basin lying -high up between Berthoud Pass and James Peak on the western slope of -the Continental Divide. The three-legged mother grizzly was leaving -the basin, evidently bound for a definite, far-off place. Her tracks -did not wander; there had been no waste of energy. A crippled bear -with two cub children and the ever-possible hunter in mind has enough -to make her serious and definite. - -But the care-free cubs, judging from their tracks, had raced and -romped, true to their play nature and to youth. The mother's tracks -showed that she had stopped once and looked back. Possibly she had -commanded the cubs to come along, but it is more than likely that she -had turned to watch them. Though ever scouting for their safety and -perhaps even now seeking a new home, yet she probably enjoyed their -romping and with satisfaction had awaited their coming. - -I had gone along reading the story these bears had written in the snow -without ever thinking to look back. The following morning I realized -that this grizzly may have been following me closely. - -I spent that night with a prospector from whom I learned many things -of interest concerning this three-legged grizzly. Truly, she was a -character. She had lived a career in the Berthoud Pass Basin. - -Only a few weeks before, so the prospector told me, a trapper had -captured one of her cubs and nearly got the grizzly herself. A grizzly -bear is one of the most curious of animals. In old bears this constant -curiosity is supplemented and almost always safeguarded by extreme -caution. But during cubhood this innate curiosity often proves his -misfortune before he has learned to be wary of man. - -The trapper, in moving camp, had set a number of small traps in the -camp rubbish. He felt certain that if a bear with cubs should be -prowling near, the cubs on scenting the place would rush up to -investigate before they could be restrained by the mother. There would -be little to rouse her suspicion, she doubtless having smelled over -many abandoned camp sites, and she, too, might be trapped. - -One of this grizzly's three cubs was caught. She and the two other -cubs were waiting with the trapped one when the trapper came on his -rounds, but at his appearance they made off into the woods. The -trapper set a large steel trap and left the trapped cub as a decoy. - -The mother bear promptly returned to rescue the trapped cub. In her -excited efforts she plunged her right forefoot into the large trap. -Many grizzlies appear to be right-handed, and her best hand was thus -caught. An old grizzly is seldom trapped. But this bear, finding -herself caught, did the unusual. She gnawed at the imprisoned foot to -get away, and finally, at the reappearance of the trapper, tore -herself free, leaving a foot behind her in the trap. She fled on three -feet, driving the two cubs before her. - -Then, though crippled, she returned that same night to the scene where -the cub was trapped. Not finding it she followed the scent to the -miner's cabin, in which the cub was chained. Here she charged one of -the dogs so furiously that he literally leaped through the window into -the cabin. The other dogs set up a great to-do and the three-legged -bear made off into the woods. As soon as her leg healed she apparently -left Berthoud Pass Basin on the trail which I had discovered, and set -off like a wide-awake, courageous pioneer to find a new home in a more -desirable region. - -A miner came to the prospector's cabin before I had left the next -morning and told the story of her attempted rescue of the cub during -the preceding night. She had left her two cubs in a safe place and -evidently returned to rescue her third trapped cub. She went to the -miner's cabin where the captured cub had been kept. The dogs gave -alarm at her presence and the miner going out fired two shots. She -escaped untouched and straightway started back to the other cubs. - -This so interested me that I decided to trail her from the basin. -After following her fresh trail for about three miles this united with -the trail she had made in leaving the basin--the trail which I had -back-tracked the day before. Travelling about ten miles, beyond where -I had first seen the trail the day before, I came to a cave-like place -high up on the side of Echo Mountain. Here she had left the cubs the -night before. Tracks showed that she was then in the cave with them. I -did not disturb them, but I did revisit their territory again and -again. - -In this cave they hibernated that winter. It was a roomy, natural cave -formed by enormous rock fragments that had tumbled together at the -base of a time-worn cliff. The den which the grizzly and cubs used the -first winter was not used again, nor were their later hibernating -places discovered. - -The grizzly's new domain was about thirty miles to the northward of -her former wilderness home. It was a wild, secluded region between -Echo Mountain and Long's Peak. - -Grizzlies often explore afar and become acquainted with the unclaimed -territory round them, and it is possible that this mother grizzly knew -the character of the new home territory before emigrating. There was -an abundance of food in the old home territory, but it is possible -that she had lost former cubs there and it is certain that she had -been shot at a number of times. However, the change may have been -simply due to that wanderlust which sometimes takes possession of the -ever-adventurous grizzly. In the eventful years which followed she -showed tireless energy and skill. Though badly crippled, she still -maintained those qualities which mean success for the survival of the -species--the ability to make a living, the postponing of death, and -the production of offspring. - -The Echo Mountain grizzly had individuality and an adventurous career. -This heroic grizzly mother might be called an emigrant or an exile, or -even a refugee. Though crippled, she dared to become a pioneer. All -that men learned of her eventful life was a story of struggles and -triumphs--the material for the biography of a character. - -The next July a camper in following the track of a snowslide came upon -a three-legged mother grizzly and two cubs. They were eating the -carcass of a deer that was just thawing from the snow and debris -brought down by the snowslide. The grizzly was nearly white, one cub -was brown, and the other dark gray. - -As the camper went on with his burro he noticed the bear watching him -from among trees across a little glacier meadow. He camped that night -on a small stream at the foot of an enormous moraine a few miles from -the place where he had seen the bear. Returning from picketing the -burro he chanced to glance at the skyline summit of the moraine. Upon -it the three-legged bear stood watching him. She was looking down with -curious interest at his tent, his campfire, and the burro. Surely this -crippled grizzly was living up to the reputation of the species for -curiosity. A moment later she disappeared behind a boulder. With his -field glasses he could still see her shadow. This showed her standing -behind the boulder with her one forepaw resting against it and peeping -from behind it. - -That autumn a trapper out for pine martens saw the Echo Mountain -grizzly and her cubs. He reported her a great traveller; said that she -ranged all over her large and rugged Rocky Mountain territory. Her -tracks were seen on the summit of the range and she occasionally -visited the other side of the divide. Perhaps she felt that an -intimate knowledge of the region was necessary for a crippled bear in -meeting emergencies. This knowledge certainly would be valuable to her -in making her living and a marked advantage if pursued. - -This rugged scenic mountain wilderness now is a part of the Rocky -Mountain National Park. It must have been a wonderland for the -childlike cubs. In the lower part of this territory are a number of -moraines, great hills, and ridges covered with grass and dotted with -pines. There are many poetic beaver ponds. The middle slopes are black -with a spruce forest and cut with a number of canyons in which clear -streams roar. Up at eleven thousand feet the forest frays out with -dwarfed and storm-battered trees. Above this the summit of the Rockies -spreads out under the very sky into a moorland--a grassy Arctic -prairie. Here, in places, big snowdrifts lie throughout the summer. To -these timberline drifts, when fringed with flowers, the mother and the -cubs sometimes came. The stains of their tracks upon the snow showed -that the cubs sometimes rolled and scampered over the wasting drifts. -They often waded in beaver ponds, swam in the clear lakes, played -along the summit of ridges while the mother was making a living; and -they often paused, too, listening to the sounds of the winds and -waters in the canyons or looking down into the open meadows far below. - -Stories of this large, handsome, nearly white Echo Mountain grizzly -reached trappers more than one hundred miles away. During the several -years through which I kept track of her a number of trappers tried for -the bear, each with his own peculiar devices. They quickly gave it up, -for in each case the bear early discovered the trap--came close to it -and then avoided it. - -But finally an experienced old trapper went into her territory and -announced in advance his determination to stay until he got the Echo -Mountain grizzly. He set a steel trap in the head of a little ravine -and placed a cake of half-burned, highly scented honey just beyond the -trap. The mother and the cubs came, and apparently she had had a hard -time making them sit down and wait until she examined the trap. To the -amazement of the trapper she had climbed down the precipitous rocks -behind the trap and procured the honey without passing over the trap. - -Knowing that she was in the lower part of her territory, he one day -set three large traps in three narrow places on the trail which she -used in retreating up the mountain. The uppermost of these he set in -the edge of the little lake at the point where she invariably came out -of the water in crossing it. He then circled and came below her. Away -she retreated. The first trap was detected two or three leaps before -she reached it. Turning aside, she at once proceeded to the summit of -the range over a new route. The following day the trapper was seen -moving his outfit to other scenes. - -Two near-by ranchers tried to get the bear by hunting. The latter part -of September they invaded her territory with dogs. The second day out -the dogs picked up her trail. She fled with the yearling cubs toward -the summit of the range over a route with which she was familiar. -Pausing at a rugged place she defied the dogs for a time, the cubs -meanwhile keeping on the move. She continued her retreat at a -surprising speed for a three-legged bear. The thin snow covering -indicated that she ran at something of a gallop, making long, lunging -leaps. - -About a mile beyond her first affray with the dogs the mother swam -with the cubs across a small mountain lake and paused in the willows -on the farther shore. Two of the dogs swam boldly after them. Just -before they reached the farther shore this daring mother turned back -to meet them and succeeded in killing both. One of the other dogs had -made his way round the lake and audaciously charged the cubs in the -willows. They severely injured him but he made his escape. On went the -bears. The hunters reached the lake and abandoned pursuit. - -The next year another hunt with hounds was launched. There were a -dozen or more dogs. The cubs, now more than two years old, were still -with the mother. The hounds started them on the slope of Echo -Mountain. They at once headed for the heights. After a run of three or -four miles they struck their old route, retreated as before, and again -swam the lake, but continued their way on up the range. - -At timberline there were clusters of thickly matted, low-growing -trees with open spaces between. Closely pressed, the bears made a -stand. Unfamiliar with timberline trees, two of the dogs in dodging -the bears leaped into the matted growths. With feet half entangled -they were caught by the bears before they could make the second quick -move. The mother bear killed one dog with a single stroke of her -forepaw and the cubs wrecked the other. The mother and cubs then -charged so furiously that the remaining dogs retreated a short -distance. Mother and cubs turned and again fled up the slope. - -The hounds were encouraged by the near-coming men again to take up -pursuit. It was nearly night when the bears made another stand on the -summit, where they beat off the dogs before the hunters came up. They -then made their way down ledges so rocky and precipitous that the dogs -hesitated to follow. Descending two thousand feet into the forest of -Wild Basin on the other side of the range, they escaped. Evidently the -mother grizzly had planned this line of retreat in advance. - -About a month later I saw the Echo Mountain grizzly on the -western side of the range, in her home territory. She was ever -alert--stopping, looking, listening, and scenting frequently. Often -she stood up the better to catch the wireless scent messages. Though -vigilant, she was not worried. She was even inclined to play. While -standing on her hind feet she struck at a passing grasshopper with her -one forepaw, but she missed. Instantly, while still standing, she -struck playfully this way and that, wheeling entirely about as she -struck the last time. - -From her tracks I noticed that she had been ranging over the middle -and lower slopes of her territory, eating elderberries and -choke-cherries below and kinnikinick and wintergreen berries in the -higher slopes. Once, when I saw her rise up suddenly near me, there -were elder bush tops with red berries dangling from them in her mouth. -After a brief pause she went on with her feast. Having only one -forefoot, she was evidently greatly handicapped in all digging -operations and also in the tearing to pieces of logs. Bears frequently -dig out mice and small mammals and overturn rotten logs and rip them -open for the ants and grubs which they contain. - -The last year that I had news concerning the Echo Mountain grizzly she -was seen with two young cubs on the shore of a beaver pond a few miles -southwest of Grand Lake. Berry pickers saw her a few times on Echo -Mountain and her tracks were frequently seen. - -In the autumn a Grand Lake hunter went out to look for the Echo -Mountain grizzly. He had a contempt for any man who pursued big game -with dogs and was sarcastic in his condemnation of the two sets of -hunters who had failed with dogs to procure a three-legged bear. He -condemned everyone who used a trap. But the skill of this grizzly in -escaping her pursuers had gone forth, and being a bear hunter he had a -great desire to procure her. - -He took a pack horse and several days' provisions and camped in the -heart of her territory. He spent two days getting acquainted with her -domain and on the third day, shortly after noon, came upon her trail -and that of her cubs descending to the lower part of her territory. He -trailed for several miles and then went into camp for the night. Early -the next day he set off again. He was a painstaking and intelligent -stalker and succeeded in approaching at close range to where the bears -were eating the tops off raspberry bushes. They either saw or scented -him and, as he circled to get closer, retreated. They went down the -mountain about two miles, using the trail they had tracked in the snow -climbing up. - -But in a ravine below they abruptly left their old trail, turned -southward, climbed to the summit of a ridge, and travelled eastward, -evidently bound for the summit of the range. The hunter also hurried -up a ridge toward the top, his plan being to intercept the bears at a -point above the limits of tree growth, where the ridge he was on -united with the ridge to which the bears had retreated. He travelled -at utmost speed. - -Just before he reached the desired point he looked across a ravine and -down upon the summit of the parallel ridge. Sure enough, there were -the bears! The cubs were leading, the mother bear limping along, -acting as rear guard. Apparently she had injured her remaining -forefoot. She climbed a small rock ledge to the summit, stood up on -hind feet and looked long and carefully back down the ridge along -which they had just travelled. While she was doing this the cubs were -playing among the scattered trees. The mother grizzly rejoined the -cubs and urged them on before her along the ridge. At every opportune -place she turned to look back. - -The wind was blowing up the slope. The hunter had hidden in a rock -ledge just above the treeline and was thus awaiting the bears where -they could neither see nor scent him. - -Presently they emerged from among the storm-dwarfed and battered trees -out upon the treeless mountain-top moorland. Up the slope they started -along a dim, wild life trail that passed within an easy stone toss of -the hunter. The mother, limping badly, finally stopped. The cubs -stopped, looked at her, then at each other, and began to play. - -The mother rose on her hind feet. Instantly the cubs stopped playing -and stood up, looking silently, seriously at the mother, then at every -point toward which she gazed. Looking down the slope she sniffed and -sniffed the air. - -Holding the only remaining and crushed forepaw before her she looked -it over intently. It was bleeding and one toe--nearly severed--hung -loosely. The paw appeared to have been crushed by a falling rock. With -the cubs watching her as she licked the wounded foot, the hunter made -ready and drew bead just below the ear. - -The shadow of a passing cloud rushed along the earth and caused the -cubs to cease their serious watching of their mother and to follow -with wondering eyes the ragged-edged shadow skating up the slope. The -hunter, close enough to see the blood dripping from the paw, shifted -slightly and aimed for the heart. Then, as he flung his rifle at a -boulder: "I'll be darned if I'll kill a crippled mother bear!" - -THE END - - - THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS - GARDEN CITY, N. 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