I'our species and subspecies of these animals in Colorado, as follows: the 

 Plains Prairie Dog, Cynomys ludovicianus; the White-tailed Prairie Dog, 

 (.'. leucums; Gunnison's Prairie Dog, C. gunnisoni; and the Zuni Prairie 

 Dog, C. gunuisoni y.uniciisis. The first named is the prairie dog of the 

 plains region east of the foothills, and is the species which lives in the 

 largest colonies or towns. The others are found in the large mountain 

 parks, and in the open spaces in the western part of the state, but never 

 living in such large towns as the preceding. The total length of an adult 

 is from 13 to 14 inches, of which the tail occupies 2.5 to 3 inches. The 

 color varies, naturally, in the different species, but is some shade of brown, 

 with a certain number of black hairs intermingled. The Plains species 

 has a black-tipped tail; the others have tails with white tips. The breed- 

 ing season is in the spring, and the young are large enough to come out 

 of the holes some time in May or early June. The Plains Prairie Dog does 

 not hibernate, though it may, in severe winter weather, remain under- 

 ground for a few days. The other species, through most of their range at 

 least, probably spend the greater portion of the cold weather in hiberna- 

 tion, but they have at times been seen out in midwinter in cold weather. 

 These animals are of much economic importance because of their 

 destructive habits. When living on uncultivated lands they eat the grass 

 and other vegetation, consuming what would otherwise feed many cattle 

 or sheep. When near farms they do great damage to crops of many sorts. 

 Much work has been done in the way of destroying them, and by concerted 

 action of the landowners of a region good results can be obtained and the 

 pests kept under control. It is hardly needful to say that the good old 

 story of the prairie dog, owl and rattlesnake living in the same hole is a 

 myth. The two latter animals are likely to live on the prairie dogs rather 

 than with them. The snakes, if not the owls, certainly eat the young 

 ones. Eagles and various hawks, to say nothing of coyotes and badgers, 

 also prey on the prairie dogs. It is not true that the dogs dig deep holes 

 to water. Their moisture is obtained from the vegetation they eat. 



CONY. 



To meet these curious and interesting little cousins of the rabbits one 

 has to seek the higher elevations and the slide rock, especially the latter, 

 lor sometimes the animals follow an unusually attractive rock slide down 

 to a comparatively low elevation. Cony is the name by which they are 

 universally known through our mountains. "Pika" is a book name of 

 whose derivation I am ignorant, and Sir John Richardson, in the 'Fauna 

 Boreali-Americana, calls them the "Little Chief Hare". They are really 

 very close relations of the rabbits, and no kin to the cony of the Bible 

 except as belonging to the class Mammalia. Colorado has two forms 

 the Colorado Cony, Ochotona saxatilis, and Figgins's Cony, O. s. figginsi. 



These animals are generally distributed through the mountains at the 

 higher altitudes, ranging usually from about 9,000 feet almost to the sum- 

 mits of the highest peaks, provided always that they have their favorite 

 slide rock to live in, for they are seldom found away from it. Here they 

 find innumerable cracks and crevices in which to make their homes, and in 

 which they can take refuge from their enemies. Their food consists of 

 plants of all sorts, which they gather from the hillsides by their homes, 

 and which they store as "hay" for the winter. Sometimes they make real 

 little haycocks, in a typical rounded heap, or again the hay is stored under 

 Hat rocks. One of their stacks found in New Mexico contained thirty- 

 lour different kinds of plants. The plants are gathered by biting off the 

 stems and then, raking the ends of several into his mouth, the little hay- 

 maker starts for his stack dragging his plunder beside him. 



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