GRAY WOLVES AND COYOTES 237 



them in daytime is to lurk behind weeds or bushes 

 until the fowls are within reach. Turkeys, which 

 range far afield in search of grasshoppers and other 

 insects, are frequent victims. At night the coyote 

 captures poultry from the roost unless care is taken 

 to guard against its entrance. A correspondent of 

 the Biological Survey wrote from Rexburg, Idaho, 

 that one neighbor lost 60 chickens and another 30 in 

 one night by coyotes. A correspondent in Mayer, 

 Ariz., wrote that he had lost about a hundred chick- 

 ens by coyotes, but that, although they destroyed 

 poultry, he believed them to be beneficial, as they 

 kept down the rabbit pest. 



"In approaching ranch buildings, either by day or 

 by night, the coyote comes from the leeward side and 

 with great caution; but once satisfied that no danger 

 lurks in the shadows, it becomes very bold." 



The coyote as a pest. Few of the mammals 

 of the farm are exempt from the raids of this 

 enterprising little wolf, whose record of mis- 

 deeds includes the capture and death of young 

 colts, calves, pigs, lambs and goats. The 

 coyote watches until the little ones are left un- 

 guarded a moment by their mothers, then rushes 

 in. Under exceptional circumstances old ani- 

 mals may be pulled down. It is especially, 

 however, as an enemy of sheep that this hardy 

 wolf becomes important in its relation to human 



