A Sportsman 277 



recently, by having a remarkably clever hunter and 

 trapper our losses are less. 



We suffer correspondingly from adjoining town 

 dogs, which are constantly shot at sight, and buried 

 without monuments or head-stones. Signs are up 

 warning against fetching on dogs, but the latter pay 

 little heed to it and suffer in consequence. No matter 

 how many coyotes are killed they never cease coming 

 on, and sometimes four or five a week are destroyed. 



They are especially plentiful at lambing time in 

 March, and, although they will not then often attack 

 full-grown sheep unless they are disabled and sepa- 

 rated from the flocks, are particularly partial to young 

 lambs. The mother will face about toward the coyote, 

 and as soon as she is distracted off a little, the coyote 

 will dash in and carry off the lamb. In the lambing 

 season the ewes are gathered loosely about in selected 

 localities, and herded night and day, when occasional 

 fires are kept burning at night and lighted lanterns 

 are hung about, which excite the suspicions of the 

 coyote, as he is very wary and cunning, and if left to 

 his own free action, will destroy six or a dozen lambs 

 to one of his eating. 



The coyotes can only be trapped by the exercise of 

 great care, as they are more cunning and suspicious 

 than foxes, but with trap and poisoned meat are 

 tolerably well kept down, and are now of less damage 

 than formerly. 



Wild-cats, though quite scarce, will occasionally 

 appear, and one cat will frequently kill a dozen lambs 

 before being itself killed. 



The great American bald eagle is also a destroyer 

 of young lambs, but on appearance can generally be 



