LV THE FAR WEST. 153 



pale-faces, to pay visits of courtesy and good fellowship to the 

 prairie roamers, and play with them by the hour ; and when 

 the visit was returned the guests were treated with becoming 1 

 kindness and consideration. This would seem to be a proof 

 positive that both species consider themselves close kindred, 

 for I have never seen the domestic dogs display the same 

 feelings towards the large gray wolf, and a fox was perfectly 

 abhorrent in their sight. 



Some of the Indian dogs resemble coyotes so much that 

 it would be hard to distinguish which is which by form and 

 colour, and often in habits ; and even the known half-breeds 

 seem more inclined to take after the sire than the dam in 

 every way. The latter have a keen nose, and when trained 

 make excellent hunting dogs, but they are not much in a 

 tussle with a wild animal, and are anything but playfully 

 sociable and affectionate with their human masters or their 

 families. 



On the occasion to which I refer the hunt was organized 

 for the purpose of enjoying a national holiday, clearing the 

 coyotes out of a region in which they were becoming too 

 numerous to be agreeable acquaintances of some of the 

 denizens of the farmyard, and to afford visitors a day's amuse- 

 ment. I stopped at the house selected for a rendezvous, and 

 before daylight of the hunting morning was aroused from a 

 sound sleep by a thundering knock at the door, the stamping 

 of horses, the growling and fighting of dogs, and the 

 strong language of men who were yelling at the combatants. 

 These early arrivals being admitted, they were followed in 

 such rapid succession by others that fifteen had assembled by 

 live o'clock, and they were accompanied by as motley a lot of 

 dogs as could possibly be got together. After a hearty 

 though hasty breakfast, which was often interrupted by yells 

 at the canine combatants, we mounted our steeds and started 

 for cover at a good trot. The snarling pack, as tliev moved 

 aloui;-, presented a sorry appearance, and looked perfect speci- 

 mens of what a Falstaflian canine regiment ought to be. 

 There were sheep dogs, curs, mongrel pointers and setters, 

 terriers, mastiffs, Newfoundlands, and hounds of all kinds and 



