ON THE PRAIRIE 57 



sends the body inside, where it cannot be re- 

 covered. The cowboys are always practis- 

 ing at them with their revolvers, and as they 

 are pretty good shots, mortally wound a 

 good many, but unless the force of the blow 

 fairly knocks the prairie-dog away from the 

 mouth of the burrow, it almost always man- 

 ages to escape inside. But a good shot with 

 the rifle can kill any number by lying 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 gophers 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 



