140 



THE DOG TRIBE. 



traordinarily shy creature, which hunts only 

 by night, has generally managed to withdraw 

 itself from the observations of travellers. 



The Coyote or Prairie-wolf (Cants latrans), 

 fig- 59- which ranges throughout North 

 America as far as Mexico, approaches the 

 foxes in the form of its long bushy tail, its sharp 

 snout, and rather 

 short legs. Its thick 

 fur is of a yellowish- 

 gray colour. Its 

 mode of life alto- 

 gether resembles 

 that of our wolves. 

 The only difference 

 to be noted is that 

 the female excavates 

 a subterranean hole 

 in which to give birth 

 to her young. Its 

 howling, barking, 

 and whining can be 

 heard to a very con- 

 siderable distance. 



The following is 

 taken from a paper 

 by Dr. Coues in the 

 American Naturalist 

 (1867), as quoted in the 

 official report by Drs. 



Coues and Yarrow on the Collections of Mammals 

 in portions of some of the Western States of 

 America. 



"The Prairie or Barking Wolf (Cants latrans, 

 Say) is by far the most abundant carnivorous 

 animal in Arizona, as it is also in almost every part 

 of the West. Practically, the coyote is a nuisance; 

 theoretically, he compels a certain degree of 

 admiration, viewing his irrepressible positivity of 

 character and his versatile nature. If his genius 

 has nothing essentially noble or lofty about it, it is 

 undeniable that few animals possess so many and 

 so various attributes, or act them out with such 

 dogged perseverance. Ever on the alert, and 

 keenly alive to a sense of danger, he yet exhibits 

 the coolest effrontery when his path crosses ours. 

 The main object of his life seems to be the satis- 

 fying of a hunger which is always craving, and to 



Fig. 59. The Coyote or Prairie-wolf (Canis latrans). 



this aim all his cunning, impudence, and audacity 

 are mainly directed. 



" Much has been written concerning the famous 

 polyglot serenades of the Coyote by those who 

 have been unwilling listeners, but it is difficult to 

 convey an adequate idea in words of the noisy con- 

 fusion. One must have spent an hour or two 

 vainly trying to sleep before he is in a condition 



to appreciate the full 

 force of the annoyance. 

 It is a singular fact 

 that the howling of two 

 or three wolves gives 

 an impression that a 

 score are engaged, so 

 many, so long-drawn 

 arc the notes, and so un- 

 interruptedly are they 

 continued by one indi- 

 vidual after another. A 

 short, sharp bark is 

 sounded, followed by 

 several more in quick 

 succession, the time 

 growing faster and the 

 pitch higher, till they 

 run together into a 

 long-drawn lugubrious 

 howl in the highest 

 possible key. The same 

 strain is taken up again 

 and again by different 

 members of the pack, 

 while from a greater 



distance the deep melancholy baying of the more 

 wary Lobo 1 breaks in to add to the discord, till the 

 very leaves of the trees seem quivering to the in- 

 harmonious sounds. It is not true, as asserted by 

 some, that the coyotes howl only just after dark and 

 at daylight. Though they may be noisiest at these 

 times, when the pack is gathering together for a 

 night's foraging, or dispersing again to their diurnal 

 retreat, I know that they give tongue at any time 

 during the night. They are rarely, if ever, heard in 

 the daytime, though frequently to be seen, at least 

 in secluded regions. Ordinarily, however, they 

 spend the day in quiet out-of-the-way places, among 

 rocks, in thick copses, &c., and seek their prey 

 mainly by night, collecting for this purpose into 

 packs, as already noticed." 



1 The American, Timber, or Buffalo Wolf (Canis lupus occkien- 

 tolls). 



