198 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



Range and The Prairie Wolf is spread extensively 

 Habits of the over the central parts of North Amer- 

 Coyote. } cai to the west of the Mississippi, and 

 to the south of British America, perhaps as far as 

 Panama ; it is especially plentiful in the great plains 

 west from the Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, in 

 California and in British Columbia. Prince de Wied, 

 to whom, as well as to Audubon, we owe the best 

 descriptions of this animal, says that it lives only 

 singly or in couples, after the manner of European 

 Wolves. It preys upon everything it can subdue 

 and is as sly as the other Wolves and Foxes. At 



RACCOON DOG. This species of Wolf, sometimes also called the Tanate, is an inhabitant of Japan, 



China and contiguous countries. It has a head that somewhat resembles the animals of the Marten family, has 

 long fur, a short, bushy tail and short legs. It does little damage, its prey being fishes and the smaller mammals. 

 ( Cants procyonoides.) 



night it often goes so far as to enter the Indian vil- 

 lages and in winter, when prey is scarce, it is not in- 

 frequently seen to trot around in the daytime, as the 

 Wolf does, in deep snow or during very cold weather. 



The traveler on the western plains will seldom see a Coyote 

 in the daytime during the milder seasons of the year, the ani- 

 mal being both crafty and cowardly and nocturnal in its habits. 

 At night, however, it may be frequently seen to prowl quite 

 near to a belated horseman or even in close proximity to a 

 camp fire, but it is very alert and only a quick shot is likely to 

 be successful. It continues to make its presence known, how- 

 ever, for like the Asiatic Jackal, which in its habits it much 

 resembles, it keeps up an incessant howling during the night 

 until the early morning. 



This animal is much despised by the frontiersman, and " as 

 mean as a Coyote " is a proverb in the far West, probably be- 

 cause of its howling propensities, and its destruction of Quail 

 and other birds and small game. Hut the Coyote is not without 

 its redeeming traits. It kills large numbers of destructive 

 rodents, and is an adept at killing Rattlesnakes and other 

 venomous reptiles. 



During the breeding season, it inhabits burrows or 

 caverns that it excavates for itself, and there the 

 female gives birth in April to from six to ten young 

 ones. At this time her voice is heard on the prairie. 

 It is a curious bark, ending in a drawn out note, re- 

 sembling the sound made by Foxes. 



Account I can gi ve a personal account of its life 



of a Captive in captivity, for I took care of a Prairie 



Coyote. Wolf for some time. He had been 



reared in the house and was as gentle as a good- 



natured Dog, but only towards acquaintances. His 

 actions were those of a domestic Dog in every 

 respect. When he caught sight of his friends, he 

 used to leap with joy, wag his tail and come to the 

 bars of his cage to be petted. But he never licked 

 anybody's hands ; at the most, only sniffing them. 

 When left alone, he was very miserable and relieved 

 his feelings by a pitiful howl; but when he had 

 company, he ill-treated the animals, unless they were 

 better biters than himself. 



He was very susceptible to the complainings of 

 other animals. He always joined in the howl of 



Wolves and even respond- 

 ed to the roar or growl of 

 Bears. If a person talked 

 to him in a plaintive tone, 

 as if pitying him, he howled 

 and whined as some domes- 

 tic Dogs do under similar 

 circumstances. Music also 

 always moved him to loud 

 outcries, but his howling at 

 such times was evidently 

 not meant to be taken se- 

 riously. 



The Raccoon As a repre- 



Dog of sentative of 



China and Japan. a l ow g ra de 



of Wolves on the Northern 

 Hemisphere, may be men- 

 tioned the Raccoon Dog 

 (Cains procyonoides), a pe- 

 culiar animal, indigenous to 

 temperate eastern Asia, es- 

 pecially China and Japan; 

 it has a somewhat Marten- 

 like aspect and nocturnal 

 habits, and feeds princi- 

 pally on Mice and fish. 



The Wolf According 

 Species of South to modern 

 America. naturalists 



the Wolf has a few allied 

 species among the South American wild Dogs, 

 namely the Crab-eating Dog (Cams cancrivorus) 

 [an animal with a Fox-like muzzle, conical ears and 

 a rather long, bushy tail, which hunts in small packs] 

 and the Aguara or Azara's Fox, also called Brazilian 

 Fox (Cams vctulns or azarce). The latter is a native 

 of all South America, from the Pacific to the Atlan- 

 tic and from the equator to the southernmost part 

 of Patagonia. This animal is said to be possessed of 

 the curious peculiarity of stealing and hiding all 

 kinds of things for which it has no use. Tschudi 

 found in the cavern of a " Zorra," as the Brazilians 

 call this animal, a stirrup, a spur and a knife. 



THE HY^NA DOGS. 



A second sub-order of the Wolves is formed by 

 one of the most remarkable as well as most beau- 

 tifully marked species, the Hyaena-Dogs (Lycaon). 

 The body is slender, but of strong build, the head is 

 moderately large or rather small, the snout is blunt. 

 Hearing and sight are very well developed; the ears 

 are high, wide and nearly devoid of hair, and the 

 large eyes have a circular pupil. The legs are mod- 

 erately long and the front feet as well as the hind 

 ones have only four toes: differing from other Dogs. 

 The further distinctive features of this species are a 

 moderately long, not very bushy tail and a smooth, 

 short-haired fur, of a very peculiar color. 



