172 



FARMERS' REGISTER— WILD ANIMALS OF THE ILLINOIS. 



fifreat distance over the plain; then it would die 

 away, and again be distinguished at, a nearer 

 point, and in anotlier direction — now the full cry 

 would burst ujjon us irom a neighboring thicket, 

 and we could almost hear the sobs of the exhaust- 

 ed deer; and again it would be borne away and lost 

 in distance. . We have passed nearly whole nights 

 in listening to such sounds; and once we saw a 

 deer dash through the yard, and immediately 

 passed the door at which we sat, followed by his 

 audacious pursuers, who were but a lew ytuds in 

 his rear. 



Immense numbers of deer are killed every year 

 by our himters, who take them lor their hams and 

 skins alone, throwing away the rest of the carcass. 

 Venison hams and hides are important articles of 

 export. The fonner are purchased Irom the hunt- 

 ers at 25 cents a jjalr, the latter at 20 cents a pound. 

 In our villages we purchase, lor our tables, the 

 saddle of venison, with the hams attached, tor 37^ 

 cents, which would be something like one cent a 

 pound. 



The Elk has disappeared. A few have been 

 Been in late years, and some taken; but it is not 

 known that any remain at this time within the 

 hmits of the state. 



The hear is seldom seen. This animal inhabits 

 those parts of the country that are thickly wooded, 

 and delights particularly in cane brakes, where it 

 feeds in the winter on the tender shoots of the 

 young cane. The meat is tender, and finely 

 ilavored, and is esteemed a great delicacy. 



Wolves are very numerous in every part of the 

 state. There are two kinds; the common, or black 

 wolf, and the prairie w^olf. The former is a large, 

 fierce animal, and very destructive to sheep, pigs, 

 calves, poultry, and even young colts. They hunt 

 in large packs, and after using every stratagem to 

 (Circumvent their prey, attack it with remarkable 

 ferocity. Like the Indian, they always endeavor 

 to surprise their victim, and strike the mortal blow 

 without exposing themselves to danger. They 

 seldom attack man, except when asleep, or wound- 

 ed. The largest animals, when wounded, entan- 

 gled, or otherwise disabled, become their prey, but 

 in general they only attack such as are incapable 

 of resistance. They have been known to lie in 

 wait upon the bank of a stream which th€. buffa- 

 loes were in the habit of crossing, and when one of 

 those unwieldy animals Avas so unfortunate as to 

 sink in the mire, spring suddenly upon it, and 

 worry it to death, while thus disabled from resist- 

 ance. Their most common prey is the deer, which 

 they hunt regularly; but all defenceless animals are 

 alike acceptable to their ravenous appetites. When 

 tempted by hunger, they approach the farm houses 

 in the night, and snatch their prey from under the 

 very eye of the farmer; and when the latter is ab- 

 sent with his dogs, the wolf is sometimes seen by 

 the females lurkmg about in mid-day, as if aware 

 of the unprotected state of the family. Our hero- 

 ic females have sometimes shot them under such 

 circiunstances. 



The smell of burning assafoetida has a remark- 

 able effect upon this animal. If a fire be made in 

 the woods, and a portion of tliis drug thrown into 

 it, so as to saturate the atmosphere with the odor, 

 the wolves, if any are within reach of the scent, 

 immediately assemble around, howling in the 

 most mournful manner; and such is the remarka- 

 ble fascination under which they seem to labor that 



they will often sufler themselves to be shot down, 

 rather than quit the spot. 



Of the very ^c.\y instances of their attacking 

 human beings, of which Ave have heard, the fol- 

 lowing may serve to give some idea of their hab- 

 its. In very early times, a negro man was passing 

 in the night, in the lov/er part of Kentucky, tj-om 

 one settlement to another. The distance was 

 several miles, and the country over which he 

 travelled entirely unsettled. In the mornuig his 

 carcass was found, entirely stripped of flesh. Near 

 it lay his axe, covered. with blood, and all aroimd 

 the bushes were beaten down, the ground trod- 

 den, and the number of foot tracks so great, as to 

 show that the unlbrtunate victim had Ibuglit long 

 and manfully. On pursuing his track, it ai»peared 

 that the wolves had ])ui'sued him for a consider- 

 able distance, he had often turned upon them and 

 driven them back. Several times they had attack- 

 ed him, and been repelled, as appeared by the blood 

 and tracks. He had killed some of them before 

 the final onset, and in the last conflict had destroy- 

 ed several. His axe was his only weapon. 



The prairie wolf is a smaller species, which 

 takes its name from its habit of residing entirely 

 upon the ojien plains. Even when hunted with 

 dogs, it will make circuit after circuit round the 

 prairie, carefully avoiding the forest, or only dash- 

 ing into it occasionally, when hard pressed, and then 

 returning to the plain. In size and appearance 

 this animal is midway between the wolf and the 

 fox, and in color it resembles the latter, being of 

 a verj' light red. It preys upoii poultry, rabbits, 

 young pigs, calves, &,c. The most friendly rela- 

 tions subsist between this animal and the common 

 wolfj and they constantly hunt in packs together. 

 Nothing is more common than to see a large 

 black wolf in company with several prairie wolves. 

 I am well satisfied that the latter is the jackall of 

 Asia. 



Sevaral j-ears ago an agricultural societ}', which 

 was established at the seat of government, ofl^ercd 

 a large premium to the person who should kill the 

 greatest number of wolves in one year. The 

 legislature, at the same time, offered a bounty for 

 each wolf-scalp that should be taken. The con- 

 sequence was, that the expenditure for wolf-scalps 

 became so great, as to render it necessary to re- 

 peal the law. These animals, although still nume- 

 rous, and troublesome to the farmer, are greatly 

 decreased in number, and are no longer dangerous 

 to man. We know of no instances, in late years, 

 of a human being having been attacked by them. 

 We have t\\(^.fox, in some places in great num- 

 bers; though, generally speaking, I think the ani- 

 mal is scarce. It will, undoubtedly, increase with 

 the ]iopulation. 



1l^\\q panther and wild-cat are found in our for- 

 ests. Our open country is not, however, well suit- 

 ed to their shj' habita, and they are less frequently 

 seen than in some of the neighboring states. 



The heaver and otter were, once numerous, but are 

 now seldom seen, except on our frontiers. 



The gopher* is, as we suppose, a nondescript. 



* The writer of this interesting article, appears not 

 to be aware that tlie Gopher has already been de- 

 scribed. It belongs to the class Mammalia, order Ro- 

 dentia. It was formerly included in the genus Mus, 

 of Linnseus, but Rafinesque has given the elegant 

 name of "Geomys." It is tlie "Pseudostoma" of Say, 

 and the Mus Bursarius of Shaw. There is but one 



