278 NOKTH AMERICAN FAUNA [No. 55 



tion of 450 stomachs of coyotes trapped, shot, or poisoned by the 

 Biological Survey predatory animal hunters in Oregon, 1917 to 1920, 

 give a rough idea of prevailing food. Many of the stomachs of 

 animals long in the traps were empty or contained only sticks and 

 earth, and some of the meat may have been from trap bait, but on 

 the whole a fair range of food is shown. 10 Of these 450 coyote 

 stomachs, 177 contained rabbits, including the two species of ]ack 

 rabbits, cottontails, and snowshoe and pygmy rabbits ; 172 contained 

 sheep meat, easily recognized by the wool; 77 disclosed ground 

 squirrels, including several species; 38 contained mice; 8 contained 

 porcupine; '5, woodchuck; 5, deer; 4, cattle; 3, pigs; 3, pine squirrel; 

 2, antelope; 2, chipmunks; 2, wood rats; 1, gray squirrel; 1, pocket 

 gopher, and 1, badger. One stomach contained a rattlesnake, and 1 a 

 green frog. Thirty-seven contained remains of sage hens; 9, of 

 poultry; 5, ducks; 2, prairie chickens; 2, quail; 2, meadowlarks; 

 1, pheasant; 1, owl, and 4, bird feathers. Ten stomachs contained 

 grasshoppers; 1, beetles, and 1, angleworms. Fourteen stomachs 

 contained juniper berries; 3, chokeberries ; 3, apples; 2, rose haws; 

 1, prunes, and 7, green grass. 



Other stomachs examined in the field have shown the shells of eggs 

 of ducks, sage hens, and other ground-nesting birds, garter snakes, 

 lizards, horn toads, salamanders, and greater numbers of pocket 

 gophers and wood rats than are indicated in the foregoing list. The 

 large number of stomachs containing remains of sheep may be ex- 

 plained partly by the fact that the efforts of the predatory-animal 

 hunters have been concentrated in areas where coyotes were doing 

 most damage to the sheep industry of eastern Oregon. Otherwise the 

 bulk of coyote food generally consists of game, rabbits, ground 

 squirrels, meadow mice, and gophers. 



Economic importance. Because of its abundance and wide distri- 

 bution, the coyote is the most destructive predatory animal in Oregon, 

 if not in the whole continent of North America. The animals' dep- 

 redations are most serious to the sheep industry, and in places, with- 

 out some check or control, they would render the industry unprofit- 

 able. They occasionally kill calves, pigs, goats, and poultry, and are 

 very destructive to game, killing many deer, antelope, mountain sheep, 

 young elk, sage grouse, prairie chickens, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, 

 and other small game, besides eating the eggs of ground-nesting game 

 and other birds. The remarkable increase in certain localities of elk, 

 deer, antelope, and sage hens in recent years can be credited largely to 

 reduction in abundance of coyotes. 



On the other hand, they may serve a useful purpose in checking 

 overabundance of jack rabbits, cottontails, ground squirrels, wood- 

 chucks, gophers, meadow mice, and other small rodents. Even their 

 insectivorous tastes may at times be useful in grasshopper and 

 cricket plagues, while their destruction of house cats that have taken 

 to the wilds has a value of growing importance. Still, in times of 

 greatest abundance of these pests they have not prevented serious 

 plagues of rabbits, meadow mice, and ground squirrels, 



10 Horse meat used for poison bait was reported in many stomach examinations but 

 is not included in this list. Most of the trapping is done with scent bait, so that only 

 in rare cases can any of the food be attributed to trap bait. 



