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# Wild Animals at Home ### By Seton, Ernest Thompson

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WILD ANIMALS AT HOME

[Illustration: I. A Prairie-dog town _In N. Y. Zoo. Photo by E. T. Seton_]

_Wild Animals At Home_

_by_

_ERNEST THOMPSON SETON_

Author of "_Wild Animals I Have Known_," "_Two Little Savages_," "_Biography of a Grizzly_," "_Life Histories of Northern Animals_," "_Rolf in the Woods_," "_The Book of Woodcraft_."

Head Chief of the Woodcraft Indians

_With over 150 Sketches and Photographs by the Author_

_Garden City New York_ _Doubleday, Page & Company_ _1923_

_Copyright, 1913, by_ ERNEST THOMPSON SETON

_All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian_

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES AT THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N. Y.

Foreword

My travels in search of light on the "Animals at Home" have taken me up and down the Rocky Mountains for nearly thirty years. In the canyons from British Columbia to Mexico, I have lighted my campfire, far beyond the bounds of law and order, at times, and yet I have found no place more rewarding than the Yellowstone Park, the great mountain haven of wild life.

Whenever travellers penetrate into remote regions where human hunters are unknown, they find the wild things half tame, little afraid of man, and inclined to stare curiously from a distance of a few paces. But very soon they learn that man is their most dangerous enemy, and fly from him as soon as he is seen. It takes a long time and much restraint to win back their confidence.

In the early days of the West, when game abounded and when fifty yards was the extreme deadly range of the hunter's weapons, wild creatures were comparatively tame. The advent of the rifle and of the lawless skin hunter soon turned all big game into fugitives of excessive shyness and wariness. One glimpse of a man half a mile off, or a whiff of him on the breeze, was enough to make a Mountain Ram or a Wolf run for miles, though formerly these creatures would have gazed serenely from a point but a hundred yards removed.

The establishment of the Yellowstone Park in 1872 was the beginning of a new era of protection for wild life; and, by slow degrees, a different attitude in these animals toward us. In this Reservation, and nowhere else at present in the northwest, the wild things are not only abundant, but they have resumed their traditional Garden-of-Eden attitude toward man.

They come out in the daylight, they are harmless, and they are not afraid at one's approach. Truly this is ideal, a paradise for the naturalist and the camera hunter.

The region first won fame for its Canyon, its Cataracts and its Geysers, but I think its animal life has attracted more travellers than even the landscape beauties. I know it was solely the joy of being among the animals that led me to spend all one summer and part of another season in the Wonderland of the West.

My adventures in making these studies among the fourfoots have been very small adventures indeed; the thrillers are few and far between. Any one can go and have the same or better experiences to-day. But I give them as they happened, and if they furnish no ground for hair-lifting emotions, they will at least show what I was after and how I went.

I have aimed to show something of the little aspects of the creatures' lives, which are those that the ordinary traveller will see; I go with him indeed, pointing out my friends as they chance to pass, adding a few comments that should make for a better acquaintance on all sides. And I have offered glimpses, wherever possible, of the wild thing in its home, embodying in these chapters the substance of many lectures given under the same title as this book.

The cover design is by my wife, Grace Gallatin Seton. She was with me in most of the experiences narrated and had a larger share in every part of the work than might be inferred from the mere text.

ERNEST THOMPSON SETON.

Contents

PAGE

=I. The Cute Coyote= 1

An Exemplary Little Beast, My Friend the Coyote 3

The Prairie-dog Outwitted 5

The Coyote's Sense of Humour 8

His Distinguishing Gift 11

The Coyote's Song 13

=II. The Prairie-dog and His Kin= 17

Merry Yek-Yek and His Life of Troubles 19

The Whistler in the Rocks 22

The Pack-rat and His Museum 23

A Free Trader 25

The Upheaver--The Mole-Gopher 27

=III. Famous Fur-bearers--Fox, Marten, Beaver and Otter= 29

The Most Wonderful Fur in the World 32

The Poacher and the Silver Fox 35

The Villain in Velvet--The Marten 47

The Industrious Beaver 48

The Dam 51

The Otter and His Slide 52

=IV. Horns and Hoofs and Legs of Speed= 55

The Bounding Blacktail 57

The Mother Blacktail's Race for Life 59

The Blacktail's Safety Is in the Hills 62

The Elk or Wapiti--The Noblest of all Deer 63

Stalking a Band of Elk 64

The Bugling Elk 66

Snapping a Charging Bull 69

The Hoodoo Cow 72

The Moose--The Biggest of all Deer 75

My Partner's Moose-hunt 76

The Siren Call 77

The Biggest of Our Game--The Buffalo 80

The Shrunken Range 81

The Doomed Antelope and His Heliograph 83

The Rescued Bighorn 85

=V. Bats in the Devil's Kitchen= 89

=VI. The Well-meaning Skunk= 95

His Smell-gun 98

The Cruelty of Steel Traps 99

Friendliness of the Skunk 100

Photographing Skunks at Short Range 101

We Share the Shanty with the Skunks 103

The Skunk and the Unwise Bobcat 104

My Pet Skunks 106

=VII. Old Silver-grizzle--The Badger= 111

The Valiant Harmless Badger 112

His Sociable Bent 115

The Story of the Kindly Badger 116

The Evil One 118

The Badger that Rescued the Boy 119

Finding the Lost One 123

Home Again 125

The Human Brute 129

=VIII. The Squirrel and His Jerky-tail Brothers= 133

The Cheeky Pine Squirrel 134

Chipmunks and Ground-squirrels 137

The Ground-squirrel that Plays Picket-pin 137

Chink and the Picket-pins 139

Chipmunks 141

The Ground-squirrel that Pretends It's a Chipmunk 142

A Four-legged Bird--The Northern Chipmunk 143

A Striped Pigmy--The Least Chipmunk 147

=IX. The Rabbits and Their Habits= 151

Molly Cottontail--The Clever Freezer 152

The Rabbit that Wears Snowshoes 154

The Terror of the Mountain Trails 156

Bunny's Ride 158

The Rabbit Dance 160

The Ghost Rabbit 163

A Narrow-gauge Mule--The Prairie Hare 164

The Bump of Moss that Squeaks 165

The Weatherwise Coney 169

His Safety Is in the Rocks 171

=X. Ghosts of the Campfire= 175

The Jumping Mouse 177

The Calling Mouse 179

=XI. Sneak-cats, Big and Small= 185

The Bobcat or Mountain Wildcat 186

Misunderstood--The Canada Lynx 187

The Shyest Thing in the Woods 189

The Time I Met a Lion 191

In Peril of My Life 194

The Dangerous Night Visitor 196

=XII. Bears of High and Low Degree= 201

The Different Kinds of Bears 202

Bear-trees 203

A Peep Into Bear Family Life 204

The Day at the Garbage Pile 208

Lonesome Johnny 210

Further Annals of the Sanctuary 210

The Grizzly and the Can 216

=Appendix: Mammals of Yellowstone Park= 221

List of Half-tone Plates

A Prairie-dog town _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

Chink's adventures with the Coyote and the Picket-pin 8

(a) The Whistler watching me from the rocks (b) A young Whistler 9

Red Fox 32

Foxes quarrelling 33

Beaver 48

Mule-deer 49

Blacktail Family 60

Blacktail mother with her twins 61

A young investigator among the Deer at Fort Yellowstone 64

Elk in Wyoming 65

Elk on the Yellowstone in Winter 68

The first shots at the Hoodoo Cow 69

The last shots at the Hoodoo Cow 76

Elk on the Yellowstone 77

Moose--The Widow 80

Buffalo groups 81

Near Yellowstone Gate 84

Mountain Sheep on Mt. Evarts 85

Track record of Bobcat's adventure with a Skunk 98

The six chapters of the Bobcat's adventure 102

My tame Skunks 103

Red-squirrel storing mushrooms for winter use 134

Chink stalking the Picket-pin 135

The Snowshoe Hare is a cross between a Rabbit and a Snowdrift 150

The Cottontail freezing 151

The Baby Cottontail that rode twenty miles in my hat 162

Snowshoe Rabbits dancing in the light of the lantern 163

Snowshoe Rabbits fascinated by the lantern 170

The Ghost Rabbit 171

The Coney or Calling Hare 178

The Coney barns full of hay stored for winter use 179

(a) Tracks of Deer escaping and (b) Tracks of Mountain Lion in pursuit 186

The Mountain Lion sneaking around us as we sleep 187

Sketch of the Bear Family as made on the spot 198

Two pages from my journal in the garbage heap 199

While I sketched the Bears, a brother camera-hunter was stalking me without my knowledge 206

One meets the Bears at nearly every turn in the woods 207

The shyer ones take to a tree, if one comes too near 210

Clifford B. Harmon feeding a Bear 211

The Bears at feeding time 218

(a) Tom Newcomb pointing out the bear's mark, (b) E. T. Seton feeding a Bear 219

Johnnie Bear: his sins and his troubles 222

Johnnie happy at last 223

* * * * *

The Cute Coyote

* * * * *

The Cute Coyote

AN EXEMPLARY LITTLE BEAST, MY FRIEND THE COYOTE

If you draw a line around the region that is, or was, known as the Wild West, you will find that you have exactly outlined the kingdom of the Coyote. He is even yet found in every part of it, but, unlike his big brother the Wolf, he never frequented the region known as Eastern America.

This is one of the few wild creatures that you can see from the train. Each time I have come to the Yellowstone Park I have discovered the swift gray form of the Coyote among the Prairie-dog towns along the River flat between Livingstone and Gardiner, and in the Park itself have seen him nearly every day, and heard him every night without exception.

[Illustration]

Coyote (pronounced _Ky-o'-tay_, and in some regions _Ky-ute_) is a native Mexican contribution to the language, and is said to mean "halfbreed," possibly suggesting that the Coyote looks like a cross between the Fox and the Wolf. Such an origin would be a very satisfactory clue to his character, for he does seem to unite in himself every possible attribute in the mental make-up of the other two that can contribute to his success in life.

He is one of the few Park animals not now protected, for the excellent reasons, first that he is so well able to protect himself, second he is even already too numerous, third he is so destructive among the creatures that he can master. He is a beast of rare cunning; some of the Indians call him God's dog or Medicine dog. Some make him the embodiment of the Devil, and some going still further, in the light of their larger experience, make the Coyote the Creator himself seeking amusement in disguise among his creatures, just as did the Sultan in the "Arabian Nights."

[Illustration]

The naturalist finds the Coyote interesting for other reasons. When you see that sleek gray and yellow form among the mounds of the Prairie-dog, at once creating a zone of blankness and silence by his very presence as he goes, remember that he is hunting for something to eat; also, that there is another, his mate, not far away. For the Coyote is an exemplary and moral little beast who has only one wife; he loves her devotedly, and they fight the life battle together. Not only is there sure to be a mate close by, but that mate, if invisible, is likely to be playing a game, a very clever game as I have seen it played.

Furthermore, remember there is a squealing brood of little Coyotes in the home den up on a hillside a mile or two away. Father and mother must hunt continually and successfully to furnish their daily food. The dog-towns are their game preserves, but how are they to catch a Prairie-dog! Every one knows that though these little yapping Ground-squirrels will sit up and bark at an express train but twenty feet away, they scuttle down out of sight the moment a man, dog or Coyote enters into the far distant precincts of their town; and downstairs they stay in the cyclone cellar until after a long interval of quiet that probably proves the storm to be past. Then they poke their prominent eyes above the level, and, if all is still, will softly hop out and in due course, resume their feeding.

THE PRAIRIE-DOG OUTWITTED

[Illustration]

This is how the clever Coyote utilizes these habits. He and his wife approach the dog-town unseen. One Coyote hides, then the other walks forward openly into the town. There is a great barking of all the Prairie-dogs as they see their enemy approach, but they dive down when he is amongst them. As soon as they are out of sight the second Coyote rushes forward and hides near any promising hole that happens to have some sort of cover close by. Meanwhile, Coyote number one strolls on. The Prairie-dogs that he scared below come up again. At first each puts up the top of his head merely, with his eyes on bumps, much like those of a hippopotamus, prominent and peculiarly suited for this observation work from below, as they are the first things above ground. After a brief inspection, if all be quiet, he comes out an inch more. Now he can look around, the coast is clear, so he sits up on the mound and scans his surroundings.

[Illustration]

Yes! Ho! Ho! he sees his enemy, that hated Coyote, strolling away off beyond the possibility of doing harm. His confidence is fully restored as the Coyote gets smaller in the distance and the other Prairie-dogs coming out seem to endorse his decision and give him renewed confidence. After one or two false starts, he sets off to feed. This means go ten or twenty feet from the door of his den, for all the grass is eaten off near home.

[Illustration]

Among the herbage he sits up high to take a final look around, then burying his nose in the fodder, he begins his meal. This is the chance that the waiting, watching, she-Coyote counted on. There is a flash of gray fur from behind that little grease bush; in three hops she is upon him. He takes alarm at the first sound and tries to reach the haven hole, but she snaps him up. With a shake she ends his troubles. He hardly knows the pain of death, then she bounds away on her back track to the home den on the distant hillside. She does not come near it openly and rashly. There is always the possibility of such an approach betraying the family to some strong enemy on watch. She circles around a little, scrutinizes the landscape, studies the tracks and the wind, then comes to the door by more or less devious hidden ways. The sound of a foot outside is enough to make the little ones cower in absolute silence, but mother reassures them with a whining call much like that of a dog mother. They rush out, tumbling over each other in their glee, six or seven in number usually, but sometimes as high as ten or twelve. Eagerly they come, and that fat Prairie-dog lasts perhaps three minutes, at the end of which time nothing is left but the larger bones with a little Coyote busy polishing each of them. Strewn about the door of the den are many other kindred souvenirs, the bones of Ground-squirrels, Chipmunks, Rabbits, Grouse, Sheep, and Fawns, with many kinds of feathers, fur, and hair, to show the great diversity of Coyote diet.

[Illustration]

THE COYOTE'S SENSE OF HUMOUR

To understand the Coyote fully one must remember that he is simply a wild dog, getting his living by his wits, and saving his life by the tireless serviceability of his legs; so has developed both these gifts to an admirable pitch of perfection. He is blessed further with a gift of music and a sense of humour.

When I lived at Yancey's, on the Yellowstone, in 1897, I had a good example of the latter, and had it daily for a time. The dog attached to the camp on the inner circle was a conceited, irrepressible little puppy named Chink. He was so full of energy, enthusiasm, and courage that there was no room left in him for dog-sense. But it came after a vast number of humiliating experiences.

[Illustration]

A Coyote also had attached himself to the camp, but on the outer circle. At first he came out by night to feed on the garbage pile, but realizing the peace of the Park he became bolder and called occasionally by day. Later he was there every day, and was often seen sitting on a ridge a couple of hundred yards away.

[Illustration: II. Chink's adventures with the Coyote and the Picket-pin _Sketches by E. T. Seton_]

[Illustration: IV. (a) The Whistler watching me from the rocks. _Photo by E. T. Seton_ (b) A young Whistler _Photo by G. G. Seton_]

One day he was sitting much nearer and grinning in Coyote fashion, when one of the campers in a spirit of mischief said to the dog, "Chink, you see that Coyote out there grinning at you. Go and chase him out of that."

Burning to distinguish himself, that pup set off at full speed, and every time he struck the ground he let off a war-whoop. Away went the Coyote and it looked like a good race to us, and to the Picket-pin Ground-squirrels that sat up high on their mounds to rejoice in the spectacle of these, their enemies, warring against each other.

The Coyote has a way of slouching along, his tail dangling and tangling with his legs, and his legs loose-jointed, mixing with his tail. He doesn't seem to work hard but oh! how he does cover the prairie! And very soon it was clear that in spite of his magnificent bounds and whoops of glory, Chink was losing ground. A little later the Coyote obviously had to slack up to keep from running away altogether. It had seemed a good race for a quarter of a mile, but it was nothing to the race which began when the Coyote turned on Chink. Uttering a gurgling growl, a bark, and a couple of screeches, he closed in with all the combined fury of conscious might and right, pitted against unfair unprovoked attack.

And Chink had a rude awakening; his war-whoops gave place to yelps of dire distress, as he wheeled and made for home. But the Coyote could run all around him, and nipped him, here and there, and when he would, and seemed to be cracking a series of good jokes at Chink's expense, nor ever stopped till the ambitious one of boundless indiscretion was hidden under his master's bed.

This seemed very funny at the time, and I am afraid Chink did not get the sympathy he was entitled to, for after all he was merely carrying out orders. But he made up his mind that from that time on, orders or no orders, he would let Coyotes very much alone. They were not so easy as they looked.

[Illustration]

The Coyote, however, had discovered a new amusement. From that day he simply "laid" for that little dog, and if he found him a hundred yards or so from camp, would chase and race him back in terror to some shelter. At last things got so bad that if we went for a ride even, and Chink followed us, the Coyote would come along, too, and continue his usual amusement.

At first it was funny, and then it became tedious, and at last it was deeply resented by Chink's master. A man feels for his dog; he wasn't going to stand still and see his dog abused. He began to grumble vaguely about "If something didn't happen pretty soon, something else would." Just what he meant I didn't ask, but I know that the Coyote disappeared one day, and never was seen or heard of again. I'm not supposed to know any thing about it, but I have my suspicions, although in those days the Coyote was a protected animal.

HIS DISTINGUISHING GIFT

The scientific name of the Coyote (_Canis latrans_), literally "Barking Dog," is given for the wonderful yapping chorus with which they seldom fail to announce their presence in the evening, as they gather at a safe distance from the campfire. Those not accustomed to the sound are very ready to think that they are surrounded by a great pack of ravening Wolves, and get a sufficiently satisfactory thrill of mingled emotions at the sound. But the guide will reassure you by saying that that great pack of howling Wolves is nothing more than a harmless little Coyote, perhaps two, singing their customary vesper song, demonstrating their wonderful vocal powers. Their usual music begins with a few growling, gurgling yaps which are rapidly increased in volume and heightened in pitch, until they rise into a long squall or scream, which again, as it dies away, breaks up into a succession of yaps and gurgles. Usually one Coyote begins it, and the others join in with something like agreement on the scream.

I believe I never yet camped in the West without hearing this from the near hills when night time had come. Last September I even heard it back of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and I must say I have learned to love it. It is a wild, thrilling, beautiful song. Our first camp was at Yancey's last summer and just after we had all turned in, the Coyote chorus began, a couple of hundred yards from the camp. My wife sat up and exclaimed, "Isn't it glorious? now I know we are truly back in the West."

The Park authorities are making great efforts to reduce the number of Coyotes because of their destructiveness to the young game, but an animal that is endowed with extraordinary wits, phenomenal speed, unexcelled hardihood, and marvellous fecundity, is not easily downed. I must confess that if by any means they should succeed in exterminating the Coyote in the West, I should feel that I had lost something of very great value. I never fail to get that joyful thrill when the "Medicine Dogs" sing their "Medicine Song" in the dusk, or the equally weird and thrilling chorus with which they greet the dawn; for they have a large repertoire and a remarkable register. The Coyote is indeed the Patti of the Plains.

THE COYOTE'S SONG[A]

I am the Coyote that sings each night at dark; It was by gobbling prairie-dogs that I got such a bark. At least a thousand prairie-dogs I fattened on, you see, And every bark they had in them is reproduced in me.

_Refrain_: