ill Sperry's report^ in wliicli lie 

 stated : 



Some more definite data on lamb losses 

 due to eagle depredations were obtained 

 from J. W. Lawhorn, manager of the 

 Thompson Brothers Ranch in Schleicher 

 County east of the Pecos lliver. For a 

 inunher of years "> or (} eagles have been 

 noted during the winter on that 2ri,0(KI- 

 acre ranch. They came late in Novem- 

 ber and stayed through January, but in- 

 variably left about February 1. For the 

 past 10 years such has been the case and. 

 as lambing did not start until February 1. 

 no losses were charged to eagles. This 

 year (1937), however, the eagles did udt 

 leave on schedule and there were about 

 -o present during February. Depreda- 

 tions on newborn lambs were soon noted 

 but no effective means of checking them 

 v.as found until late in February when 

 10 eagles were killed from an airplane. 

 A checkup late in March revealed a 

 heavy lamb loss chargeable to eagles. 

 Records of 5 or more years showed that 

 the average lamb markup for the Thomp- 

 son Brothers Ranch was 90 percent, and 

 that for 1937 it should have been well 

 above average because the spring was 

 extremely favorable for lambing. In 

 fact, a small group of ewes (47) moved 

 from a large pasture (later frequented 

 by eagles) to a small enclosure near the 

 ranch buildings actually gave a lamli 

 crop of 105 percent, while a markup from 

 178 ewes in the large pasture and 330 in 

 an adjacent one — in both of whicii lambs 

 wei-e exposed to eagle attack — was only 

 7r> and 87 percent, respectively. 



It has not been possible in this 

 study to determine the magnitude of 

 the total daina<2;e done to sheep in 

 this area by the oolden ea<ile. Here, 

 again, the relative acceptability of 

 carrion to the bird prevents objec- 

 tive analvsis. This was broiie;ht out 



^ Eagles vs. lambs in western Texas. 1937. 

 MS. in files of United States Fish and Wild- 

 life Service, Washington, D. C. 



by R. H. Imler," who worked in the 

 sheep-raising area of southern New 

 Mexico and west Texas and obtained 

 29 crops and stomachs of golden 

 eagles, principally from birds killed 

 by local eagle lumters. 



Although many of the birds had 

 been dead for months, the food 

 items were still readily identified 

 and the data regarding them were 

 obtained from those who had killed 

 the eagles. It was impossible, how- 

 ever, in most cases to determine 

 which items had been taken as 

 carrion. 



Of the 29 stomachs, 14 contained 

 portions of domestic sheep or goats, 

 of which at least -f were classified as 

 carrion. Fourteen of the stomachs 

 contained remains of rabbits, of 

 which 3 were considered to be car- 

 rion. With respect to the remains 

 of skunks (3), bobcat (1), coyote 

 (1), wood rat (1), and turkey vul- 

 ture (1), there Avas no conclusive 

 evidence as to whether the items 

 were live prey or carrion. 



It may be of interest that 6 of 

 these eagles were shot near Clover- 

 dale, N. Mex., on range occupied by 

 very young lambs and kids. Their 

 stomachs contained respectively, 

 skunk, 100 percent in 2 stomachs; 

 bobcat, 100 percent ; coyote, 100 per- 

 cent; skunk and rabbit, 60 and 40 

 percent; and rabbit and domestic 

 sheep or goat, 43 and 57 percent. 

 Wliat part of these items was car- 

 rion could not be determined. 



Available information indicates 

 that losses of lambs as Avell as of 

 goat kids, attributable to eagles are 



« Report on field trip to Texas and New- 

 Mexico in 1942. In files of the United States 

 Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C. 



29 



