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 
