Feb., 1912. Mammals or Illinois and Wisconsin — Cory. 323 



Measurements — Total length, about 44 to 49.50 in. (i no to 1250 mm.) ; 

 tail vertebrce, 11 to 14.50 in. (280 to 370 mm.); hind foot, about 

 7.50 in. (190 mm.). 



CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS.* 



Linn County, Linn County, 



Iowa. Iowa. Marinette Co. 



Coll. Cos College Coll. Coe College Wisconsin. 



Museum. Museum. Field Museum 



Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids. Collection. 



Greatest length of skull 174 mm. 165 mm. 174 mm. 



Basal length 160 



Basilar length of Hensel 153 



Palatilar length 81 



Zygomatic breadth 86 



Mastoid breadth 55 



Breadth of brain case 54 



Narrowest breadth of rcstrum 30 



Interorbital breadth 26 



Breadth between ends of postorbital 



processes 36 



Length of crown of upper carnassial .... 18 



15^ " 153 



148 " 150 



79 " 82 



80 " 88 



52 " 56 



53 " 54 

 27 " 26 

 25 " 27 



35 40 



18 " 19 



The sexes of the above skulls are unfortunately unknown, although 

 they are probably females. They are, however, decidedly smaller 

 than two skulls from Minnesota supposed to belong to this species. 



The range of the Prairie Wolf or Coyote formerly included the greater 

 portion of Illinois and Wisconsin and it is still to be found in more or 

 less numbers in many sparsely settled localities in both states. f There 

 is a specimen in the Northw^estern University collection at Evanston, 

 Illinois, taken near Geneva, Kane Co., Illinois. Mr. T. D. Shipton of 

 Hanover informs me that they are of regular occurrence in parts of Jo 

 Daviess Co., but not plentiful. Mr. W. L. Weaver of Morrison, White- 

 side Co., reports them as being found to a limited extent in that locality. 

 Mr. W. E. Nixon, county clerk, Toulon, 111., infonns me they are occa- 

 sionally killed in Stark County. Mr. A. H. Howell states that several 

 were killed two or three years ago near Kansas, Edgar Co. Kennicott, 

 in his list published in 1854, states that it was abundant in Cook County 

 within ten years {I. c, p. 578). 



In Wisconsin it is common in some localities. Hollister states that 

 there are three skulls in the Biological Survey collection from Eagle 

 River, Vilas Co., collected in 1907, and a skin and skull from Delavan 

 taken in 1S98. He is of the opinion that it is increasing in numbers in 

 southern Wisconsin, notably in Walworth County where several litters 



* Fcr definition of terms see Glossary, p. 4S9. 



t It is probable that nearly all the so-called " Gray Wolves " reported by various 

 newspapers as having been killed, from time to time, in Illinois are this species. 



