Coyote 811 



The winter is, of course, the chief enemy of the Northern exe- 

 Coyote. The shutting off of many food suppHes, the severe 

 weather, the exposure to view of the hunters, poisoned baits 

 which in summer would be scorned but which are now swal- 

 lowed in desperation, all unite to make havoc in the numbers, 

 and those that are left by the end of February are the strongest 

 and wariest. Next after winter, the worst enemy of the 

 Coyote is man; next to this, dogs; next, disease and parasites; 

 then probably the Gray-wolf, the eagle, and the horned owl. 



It is improbable that these birds would attack a grown 

 Coyote, or that the Gray-wolf could catch one, but the very 

 young would fall an easy prey. 



The Elk and Deer are to be reckoned in this list. They 

 have well-founded hatred of all Wolves, and never fail to 

 strike one when they can. One blow from the foot of an Elk 

 or Deer, or even an Antelope, may disable a Coyote, and give 

 the hoofed avenger a chance to finish his work. 



I have never heard of a sane Coyote attacking man. 



The following adventure with a mad Coyote was recorded ii-^D 



, COYOTE 



by Malcolm Little, of Provo, Utah, and sent me by Mrs. S. 

 Young Gates of the same city. 



"The summers of 1891 and 1892 were extremely dry and 

 hot in northern Mexico. A two years' drought had left the 

 extensive valleys barren. The grass was crisp and bleached, 

 the dust heavy and rose in clouds, and the Casas Grandes 

 River was dry save for a few deep, stagnant pools. This being 

 the only water within many miles, all the animals of the im- 

 mediate vicinity came there to drink. As a result, on each 

 side of the river, for a great distance, hardly a spear of grass 

 could be found. 



"The Coyotes were very numerous. They seemed to 

 have been drawn from all the surrounding country to these 

 watering places. So numerous were they, in fact, that in a 

 few hours a man sitting in a tree near one of the pools shot 

 13 that came to drink. They roamed about in droves of 

 from eight to twelve in search of food. They were gaunt and 



