A Trip on the Prairie 229 



it almost always manages to escape inside. But a 

 good shot with the rifle can kill any number by ly- 

 ing down quietly and waiting a few minutes until 

 the dogs get a little distance from the mouths of 

 their homes. 



Badgers are more commonly found round prairie- 

 dog towns than anywhere else; and they get their 

 chief food by digging up the prairie-dogs and go- 

 phers with their strong forearms and long, stout 

 claws. They are not often found wandering away 

 from their homes in the daytime, but if so caught 

 are easily run down and killed. A badger is a most 

 desperate fighter, and an overmatch for a coyote, 

 his hide being very thick and his form so squat and 

 strong that it is hard to break his back or legs, while 

 his sharp teeth grip like a steel trap. A very few 

 seconds allow him to dig a hole in the ground, into 

 which he can back all except his head; and when 

 placed thus, with his rear and flanks protected, he 

 can beat off a dog many times his own size. A 

 young badger one night came up round the ranch 

 house, and began gnawing at some bones that had 

 been left near the door. Hearing the noise one of 

 my men took a lantern and went outside. The 

 glare of the light seemed to make the badger stupid, 

 for, after looking at the lantern a few moments, it 

 coolly turned and went on eating the scraps of flesh 

 on the bones, and was knocked on the head without 

 attempting to escape. 



To come back to my trip. Early in the morning 

 I was awakened by the shrill yelping of the prairie- 



