134 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE PRAIRIE WOLF. 



The prairie wolf Origin of its name Its position among the Con/da? 

 The connecting link between the large wolf and the fox Its burrows 

 Peculiarity of its barking Its form and colour How it is looked 

 upon by plainsmen Where it is very abundant Hunting it on horse- 

 back Its speed Best dogs for hunting it Its numbers make it diffi- 

 cult to be hunted by one pack of hounds The heaviness of its brush 

 When it runs best Best horses for the chase Leaves a screaming 

 scent Dashes after it with hounds and horses Kill six in one day 

 Run into encampments of war parties of Indians Rapid retreat A 

 severe fight with the red men A chase on the plains of the Columbia 

 The meet Mongrel dogs and their love of fighting At cover Start 

 two coyotes The pursuit Killed by Indian dogs A mongrel grey- 

 hound brings one to bay, and it is shot I shoot one Looking for my 

 party- A meet and a run Surprised by Indians Whites versus 

 Indians in the chase Seven coyotes killed Fun and confusion Falls 

 and laughter The relation of Indian dogs to coyotes Their character 

 for hunting Future of coyote hunting. 



THE prairie wolf or coyote (Cattis latrans) is found all over the 

 open plains of the Far West, and ranges from British America 

 on the north to Mexico on the south. Its technical cognomen 

 is derived from its characteristic in barking, which is so 

 different from the melancholy howl of the gray wolf, and its 

 common name of coyote, from the Mexicans ; but amongst 

 them it is a wretched creature,, little larger than a fox, and so 

 timid that it flees from a cur. It is much larger, more 

 active and energetic iu the north, and has all the qualities 

 necessary to make hunting it with hounds and horses both 

 interesting and exciting. It seems to occupy the position in 

 size and character between the large wolf and the fox, and to 

 be the connecting link between them. It resembles the wolf 

 in bodily outline, appearance, and colour, and, like it, hunts in 

 packs; but it approaches the 1'ox in some of its habits. Like 

 the latter, it lives and has its young in burrows, which it 



